MUSEUM  OF  FINE  ARTS. 

PRINT  DEPARTMENT. 


EXHIBITION 

ILLUSTRATING  THE  TECHNICAL  METHODS  ol 

THE  REPRODUCTIYE^ARTS^ 

FKOM  THE  XV.  CENTURY  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME, 
WITH  SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO 

The  Ptioto-Mechanical  Processes. 


JANUARY  8  TO  MARCH   6,  1892. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  MUSEUM  BY  ALFRED  MUDGE  &  SON, 
24  Franklin  Street. 
1892. 


FRANKLIN  INSTITUTE  LIBRARY. 


1.  Class,  No..^ 


0^ 


Article  V. — The  Library  shall  be  divided  into  two  classes  ;  the  first 
comprising  such  works  as,  from  their  rarity  or  value,  should  not  be  lent 
out,  ail  unbound  periodicals,  and  such  text  books  as  ought  to  be  found 
in  a  library  of  reference  except  when  required  by  Committees  of  the 


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PRESENTED  BY 

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refuse  or  iitigieuL  lu  cumpiy  witn  me  loregomg  ruies,  ii  snail  De  tne 
of  the  Secretary  to  report  him  to  the  Committee  on  the  Library. 

Article  X. — Any  Member  or  holder  of  second  class  stock,  detected 
in  mutilating  the  newspapers,  pamphlets  or  books  belonging  to  the  Insti- 
tute shall  be  deprived  of  his  right  of  membership,  and  the  name  t)f  the 
offender  shall  be  made  public. 


MUSEUM  OF  FINE  ARTS. 


PRINT  DEPARTMENT. 


EXHIBITION 

ILLUSTRATING  THE  TECHNICAL  METHODS  OF 

THE  REPRODUCTIVE  ARTS 

FROM  THE  XV.  CENTURY  TO  THE  PRESENT  TIME, 
WITH  SPECIAL  REFERENCE  TO 

The  Photo -Mechanical  Processes. 


JANUARY  8  TO   MARCH   6,  1892. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  FOR  THE  MUSEUM  BY  ALFRED  MUDGE  &  SON, 
24  Franklin  Street. 
1892. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  present  exhibition  is  principally  intended  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  stage  of  development  reached  by  the  mar- 
vellous processes  for  producing  printable  blocks  and  plates, 
known  under  the  collective  name  of  The  Photo- Mechanical 
Processes^  and  to  illustrate  the  means  by  which  they  attain 
their  results,  so  far  as  that  can  be  done  within  the  limits 
imposed,  and  without  divulging  the  many  trade-secrets 
which  still,  either  really  or  apparently,  envelop  many  of 
them. 

As  these  modern  processes,  however,  cannot  be  under- 
stood without  some  knowledge  of  those  that  preceded 
them,  it  has  been  thought  advisable  to  add  illustrations 
also  of  those  of  the  older  processes  of  which  specimens 
were  obtainable.  The  exhibition  offers,  therefore,  a  suc- 
cinct history  of  the  means  used  to  produce  blocks  and 
plates  from  which  impressions  can  be  made  in  a  press  or 
otherwise,  from  the  15th  century,  when  these  processes 
were  first  extensively  practiced,  down  to  our  own  time. 
Attentive  study  of  the  material  submitted  will  show  that 
the  technical  aim,  steadily  held  in  view,  has  been  and  is 
the  substitution  of  the  forces  of  nature  for  the  activity  of 
man.  This  aim  is  most  clearly  expressed  in  the  announce- 
ment of  the  prize  for  a  scientifically  reliable  reproductive 
process,  offered  by  the  Due  de  Luynes  in  1856.  "It  is," 
says  this  announcement,  "with  a  view  to  hastening  the 
moment,  so  much  desired,  when  the  processes  of  printing 
or  of  lithography  shall  permit  the  reproduction  of  the 
marvels  of  photography,  without  the  intervention  of  the 
human  hand  in  the  design,  that  M.  le  Due  de  Luynes 
.  .  .  has  established  a  prize."  This  aim  has  not,  indeed, 
been  reached  absolutely  as  yet,  but  considerable  progress 
towards  it  has  been  made,  as  this  exhibition  testifies. 
Concerning  the  possibility  of  final  achievement,  the  wisest 
course  will  be  to  abstain  from  all  speculation,  and  to  hold 


iv 


INTRO D  UCTION. 


ourselves  ready  to  accept  such  answer  as  the  future  may 
bring.  Nor  would  it  be  permissible  here  to  enter  upon  a 
discussion  as  to  the  effect  which  these  new  processes  may 
have  upon  the  older  ones.  It  may  be  said,  however,  that 
the  two  differ  very  decidedly  in  their  intellectual  aims, 
however  closely  they  may  agree  in  the  technical.  The  old 
processes,  in  their  highest  development,  are  artistic  and 
give  free  scope  to  the  personal  element.  The  modern 
photo-mechanical  processes,  in  their  highest  development, 
are  scientific,  and  seek  to  eliminate  the  personal  element. 
The  former,  therefore,  are  —  or  at  least  maybe — them- 
selves a  form  of  art,  while  the  latter  are  its  servants, 
whose  merit  is  measured  by  the  degree  to  which  they  find 
it  possible  to  repress  their  own  individuality. 

The  exhibition  is  divided  into  five  parts:  —  A.  The 
older  processes^  invented  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  19th 
century.  B.  Substitute  processes^  which  try  to  reach  the 
results  of  the  older  processes  at  a  less  expenditure  of 
manual  labor,  but  as  yet  without  photography.  C.  Pho- 
tographic processes^  which  either  depend  entirely  on  the 
action  of  light  upon  certain  substances  for  the  making  of 
the  picture  as  well  as  for  its  reproduction,  or  which  repro- 
duce and  multiply  an  already  existing  picture  by  the  same 
means.  D.  Photo-mechanical  processes^  the  aim  of  which 
it  is  to  produce,  either  from  nature  or  from  works  of  art, 
by  photographic  action,  plates,  blocks,  or  moulds,  to  be 
used  for  the  multiplying  of  pictures  in  the  press,  that  is 
to  say,  by  mechanical  means.  E.  Drawing  for  photo- 
mechanical process-work.  This  division  does  not  come 
strictly  within  the  scope  of  the  exhibition,  as  it  represents 
a  purely  artistic  activity  preliminary  to  the  process  itself. 
As,  however,  this  kind  of  drawing  is  almost  wholly  an  out- 
come of  the  photo-mechanical  processes,  —  although  its 
first  efforts  were  prompted  by  the  substitute  processes,  — 
it  has  a  well-defined  right  to  a  place  here.  The  "half- 
tone processes  have,  indeed,  done  away  with  the  neces- 
sity for  much  process  drawing,  but  it  is  still  largely  prac- 
ticed, and  some  knowledge  of  the  means  employed  may, 
therefore,  be  of  use  to  young  artists,  many  of  whom  find 
a  first  source  of  income  in  the  making  of  drawings  of  this 
sort. 


INTR  OD  UC  TION. 


V 


The  technical  notes  under  the  different  headings  of  the 
catalogue  are  necessarily  of  the  most  meagre  kind.  They 
will,  however,  be  sufficient,  in  connection  with  the  speci- 
mens shown,  to  give  an  idea  of  the  principles  involved, 
which  is  all  that  is  aimed  at.  In  examining  the  specimens, 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  purpose  of  the  exhibition 
is  distinctly  technical,  and  that  the  illustration  of  technical 
points  had  to  be  made  the  first  coi  sideration,  although  the 
beauty  of  the  results  reached  has  also  been  kept  in  view 
wherever  it  was  possible.  Finally,  it  may  be  well  to  state 
that  the  exhibition  does  not  nearly  exhaust  the  subject 
with  which  it  deals.  The  number  of  processes  invented 
within  the  last  thirty  years  is  almost  innumerable.  It  is 
believed,  however,  that  most  of  the  successful  processes 
—  successful,  that  is  to  say,  either  temporarily  or  perma- 
nently —  are  represented. 

The  Museum  of  Fme  Arts  is  indebted  to  the  U.  S. 
National  Museum  and,  through  Prof.  C.  F.  Chandler,  to 
Columbia  College,  as  well  as  to  Miss  Laura  Norcross,  and 
Miss  M.  J.  Fenderson,  of  Boston,  Mr.  Jas.  D.  Smillie,  of 
New  York,  Mr.  F.  E.  Ives,  of  Philadelphia,  Mr.  T.  W. 
Smillie,  of  Washington,  and  Messrs.  H.  R.  Elaney,  E.  F. 
Fenollosa,  Thomas  Gaffield,  Geo.  A.  Goddard,  E.  H. 
Greenleaf,  Walter  F.  Lansil,  Chas.  G.  Loring,  J.  B. 
Millet,  Walter  Rowlands,  Pierre  Thurwanger,  :ind  Chas. 
A.  Walker,  of  Boston,  for  the  loan  of  valuable  specimens. 
A  list  of  the  business  houses  who  have  directly  contributed 
to  the  exhibition  is  given  on  p.  vi. 

The  private  collection  of  the  undersigned  has  also  been 
largely  drawn  upon. 

The  undersigned  will  deliver  t\^^o  lectures  on  the  photo- 
mechanical processes  before  the  Society  of  Arts,  at  the 
Massachusetts  Institute  of  Technology,  on  the  evenings 
of  January  14  and  28,  at  8  o'clock.  The  admission  to 
these  lectures  is  free. 

S.  R.  KOEHLER. 


LIST  OF  BUSINESS  HOUSES 

WHO  HAVE 

CONTRIBUTED   TO    THIS  EXHIBITION. 


The  John  Andrew  &  Son  Co.,  Boston. 
The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 

E.  BiERSTADT,  New  York. 

The  Boston  Engraving  Co.,  Boston. 

BoussoD,  Valadon  &  Co.,  Paris  and  New  York. 

Crosscup  &  West,  Philadelphia. 

Benjamin  Day,  New  York. 

A.  W.  Elson  &  Co.,  Boston. 

The  Gravure-Etching  Co.,  Boston. 

F.  Gutekunst,  Philadelphia. 

The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.,  Boston. 

W.  Kurtz,  New  York. 

Little,  Brown  &  Co.,  Boston. 

Augustus  Marshall,  Boston 

The  Moss  Engraving  Co.,  New  York. 

The  New  York  Photogravure  Co.,  New  York. 

The  NoTMAN  Photographic  Co.,  Boston. 

L.  Prang  &  Co.,  Boston. 

Chas.  J.  Ross,  Burlington,  N.  J. 

H.  G.  Smith,  Boston. 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  EXHIBITION. 


FIRST  PRINT  ROOM. 

A.    The  Old  Processes   i 

I.  Relief  Processes   3 

1.  Wood-cutting  (and  relief -engraving  on  metal)       .  3 

2.  Old  white-line  work       ......  4 

3.  Modern  wood-engraving       .....  5 

4.  Modern  plank-cutting   8 

5.  Relief -engraving  applied  to  color-printing      .       .  8 

6.  Japanese  wood-cutting   9 

II.  Intaglio  Processes   10 

1.  Graver  work  (Line-engraving)       ....  10 

2.  Dry-pointing   II 

3.  Etching   13 

4.  Forwarding  by  etching   15 

5.  Etchings  finished  with  graver  and  dry-point  .       .  15 

6.  Punching   16 

7.  Imitation  of  crayon-drawing  .       .       .       .       .  16 

8.  Stippling   17 

9.  Soft-ground  etching   18 

10.  The  sand-manner  .       .       .       .       .       .       .  18 

11.  Aquatinting   19 

12.  Mezzotinting.       .......  20 

13.  Lavis.  —  Tints  of  various  kinds      ....  21 

14.  The  ruling-machine       ......  22 

15.  The  mixed  manner   23 

16.  The  printing  of  intaglio  plates      ....  23 

1 7.  Steelf acing  and  electrotyping  .....  24 

18.  Intaglio  engraving  applied  to  color-printing  .       .  24 

{a.)    At  one  printing,  from  one  plate       .       .  24 

{d.)    From  several  plates   25 

(<:.)    Intaglio  and  reUef  combined    ...  26 


viii        ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  EXHIBITION 


III.    Planographic  Processes 

1.  Crayon- drawing 

2.  Pen-and-ink  and  brush-work 

3.  Engraving 

4.  Etching 

5.  Rub-tints,  lavis,  stumping,  etc, 

6.  Spattering 

7.  Autography  . 

8.  Transferring  . 

9.  Presses  and  printing 
10.  The  Planographic  processes  applied  to  color-printing, 

B.    Substitute  Processes 


I 

2, 
3 
4. 

5 

6, 

7 

8, 

9 

10. 
II 
12 


Relief-etching,  A  . 
Relief-etching,  B  . 
Wax  Processes 
Clay  Surface  Processes 
Graph  otype  . 
Galvanography 
Blocks  of  Soft  Mass 
Stenochromy  . 
Machine-engraving 
Nature-printing 
Gelatine  Processes 
Closson's  Process  . 


26 
27 
28 
28 
28 
28 
29 
29 
29 
30 
30 

31 
32 
33 
34 
34 
34 
35 
35 
35 
36 
37 
37 
38 


SECOND  PRINT  ROOM. 

Photographic  Processes   38 

1.  Natural  objects,  prints,  etc.,  used  as  printing  screens,  41 

2.  Daguerreotypes     .......  42 

3.  Negatives   42 

4.  Positives  on  glass  .......  43 

5.  Transfers  of  positives    ......  43 

6.  Ambrotypes   43 

7.  Ferrotypes     ........  43 

8.  Silver  prints   43 

9.  Gold  prints   44 

10.  Iron  prints     ........  44 

1 1 .  Uranium  prints     ...        ....  44 

12.  Platinum  prints   44 

1 3.  Permanent  photographs :  —  Enamel  pictures ;  dusted 

pictures;  pigment-printing         ....  44 

14.  Photomicrographs   46 

15.  Enlargements   46 

16.  Microphotographs   46 

17.  Instantaneous  photography   47 

18.  Orthochromatic  photography   47 

19.  Colored  photographs   48 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  EXHIBITION 


ix 


Photo-mechanical  Processes  

49 

I.    Technical  methods  

57 

I. 

Materials  used  

59 

2. 

The  properties  of  gelatine  

59 

(^.)  Intaglio  Processes. 

3. 

Photogravure  in  lines.   .       .       .  . 

60 

Photo-aquatint  ....... 

60 

6. 

Ine  Woodburytype  ...... 

63 

Planographic  Processes. 

7- 

Photolithography  

64 

8. 

Collographic  processes  ...... 

64 

(r.)  Relief  Processes. 

9, 10. 

The  Etching  Process  ...... 

66 

II. 

Photo-aquatint  in  relief  

67 

12. 

The  swell  gelatine  process  ..... 

67 

13. 

The  wash-out  process  ...... 

68 

14. 

Screen  processes  ....... 

69 

15. 

The  relief-processes  applied  to  color-printing  . 

71 

II.  Results  

Intaglio  Processes. 

I . 

Joseph  Nicephore  Niepce,  Paris  .... 

72 

2. 

Henry  Fox  Talbot,  London  

72 

3- 

Paul  Pretsch,  London  ...... 

73 

4. 

E.  Baldus,  Paris  ....... 

73 

5- 

Alphonse  Poitevin,  Paris  ..... 

73 

6. 

Henri  Gamier,  Paris  

74 

7- 

F.  Hanfstaengl,  Munich  

74 

8. 

E.  Albert,  Munich  

74 

9. 

J.  B.  Obernetter,  Munich  

74 

10. 

K.  K.  Militair-geographisches  Institut,  Vienna 

75 

II. 

R.  Paulussen,  Vienna  

75 

12. 

C.  Klic,  Vienna  

75 

13- 

C.  Haack,  Vienna  

75 

14. 

J.  Lowy,  Vienna  ....... 

75 

15- 

H.  Riffarth,  Berlin  

76 

16. 

Photographische  Gesellschaft,  Berlin 

76 

17- 

Reichsdruckerei,  Berlin  

76 

18. 

G.  Scamoni,  St.  Petersburg  ..... 

76 

19. 

Annan  &  Swan,  Glasgow  ..... 

76 

20. 

A.  Dawson,  London  ...... 

76 

21. 

The  Autotype  Company,  London  .... 

76 

22. 

The  Typographic  Etching  Company,  London 

76 

23. 

Amand-Durand,  Paris  

77 

24. 

Boussod,  Valadon  &  Co.,  Paris  .... 

77 

25- 

The  Heliographic  Engraving  Company,  New  York, 

77 

26. 

Louis  Brown  &  Co.,  Philadelphia  .... 

78 

27. 

Gebbie  &  Husson  Co.  (Limited),  Philadelphia 

78 

28. 

The  Photo-Etching  Company,  Boston  . 

78 

ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  EXHIBITION 


Davanne,  Paris, 


29.  The  New  York  Photogravure  Company,  New  York, 

30.  A.  W.  Elson  &  Co.,  Boston  

3 1 .  Photo-intagho  processes  applied  to  color-printing : — 

Photogravure  Co.,  Philadelphia;  N.  Y.  Photogra- 
vure Co.;  A.  W.  Elson  &  Co.;  Boussod,  Vala- 
don  &  Co  

32.  Woodburytype  ....... 

33.  Woodburytype  applied  to  color-printing 

{b.)    Planographic  Processes. 
Photolithography  and  Zincography. 

1.  Zurcher,  Paris 

2.  Lemercier,  Lerebours,  Barreswill  & 

3.  Alphonse  Poitevin,  Paris 

4.  Lodowick  H.  Bradford,  Boston 

5.  P.  Gibbons  .... 

6.  E.  I.  Asser,  Amsterdam 

7.  Wm.  Toovey,  Brussels  . 

8.  J.  W.  Osborne,  Melbourne,  etc. 

9.  Sir  Henry  James  . 

10.  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.  (Line 

11.  Sprague  &  Co.,  London 

12.  Jas.  Ackerman,  London 

13.  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.  (Grain  work) 

14.  J.  Bartos,  Bohemia  .... 

15.  Photolithography  and  zincography  applied  to 

printing: — Osborne's  process;    the  Heliotype 
Printing  Co.;    Wezel  &  Naumann;    H.  Dorn 
L.  Prang  &  Co  


work) 


color- 


78 
79 


79 
80 
80 


80 
81 
81 
81 
81 
82 
82 
83 
83 
83 
83 
83 
84 
84 


THIRD  PRINT  ROOM. 


Collogra ph  ic  Processes . 

16.  E.  Albert,  Munich   86 

17.  Albert  Frisch,  Berlin   86 

18.  E.  Bierstadt,  New  York         ....  86 

19.  The  Art  PubUshing  Co.,  Boston     .       .       .       *'  86 

20.  F.  Gutekunst,  Philadelphia    ...  t  86 

21.  The  Gravure-Etching  Co.,  Boston  .       .  .•86 

22.  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.,  Boston      .  .  86 

23.  The  coUographic  processes  applied  to  color-print- 

ing:—  The  Forbes  Lithograph  Manufacturing 
Co.;  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.;  The  Art  Pub- 
lishing Co.;  J.  Low}^;  Meissner  &  Buch;  E. 
Albert;  E.  Bierstadt  86 

(<f.)  Relief  Processes. 

1.  Paul  Pretsch,  London    ......  88 

2.  Henri  Garnier,  Paris  89 


ARRANGEMENT  OF  THE  EXHIBITION. 


3.  Eduard  Heidenhaus  .... 

4.  Charles  Henry,  New  York 

5.  The  Actinic  Engraving  Co.,  New  York  . 

Work  in  lines,  dots,  etc. 

6.  The  Moss  Engraving  Co.,  New  York 

7.  The  Photo-Engraving  Co.,  New  York  . 

8.  The  Art  Pubhshing  Co.,  New  York 

9.  Crosscup  &  West,  Philadelphia 

10.  The  C.  L.  Wright  Gravure  Co.,  New  York 

Half-tone  in  Grain. 

11.  Pennington  &  Co.,  Philadelphia 

12.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston 

13.  French  work  ..... 

Screen  Processes. 

14.  M.  &  M.  Jaffe,  Vienna  . 

15.  Meisenbach,  Munich 

16.  Boussod,  Valadon  &  Co.,  Paris 

17.  Schweizer  Autotyp-Anstalt,  Winterthur 

18.  The  Moss  Engraving  Co.,  New  York 

19.  The  Photo-Engraving  Co.,  New  York 

20.  The  Boston  Engraving  Co.,  Boston 

21.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston 

22.  M.  Wolfe,  Dayton  .... 

23.  The  John  Andrew  &  Son  Co.,  Boston 

24.  Crosscup  &  West,  Philadelphia 

Stipple  Processes. 

25.  Crosscup  &  West,  Philadelphia.    ("  Ives  Process.") 


Printing. 


26.  Husnik's  "  Gluetype" 

The  Relief  Processes  applied  to  Color- 

27.  German  work 

28.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston 

29.  Henry  G.  Cowee,  Boston 

30.  W.  Kurtz,  New  York 

31.  Boussod,  Valadon  &  Co.,  Paris 

32.  "  Sgap,"  Paris 

33.  C.  Angerer  &  Goschl,  Vienna. 

34.  Autotypie-Compagnie,  Munich 

Drawing  for  Photo-Mechanical  Process-Work  .  95 

1 .  Embossed  and  printed  papers.  —  Shading  mediums, 

—  Pasting  tints  97 

2.  Process  drawings,  with  the  blocks  made  from  them,  97 

3.  Reproductions  of  process  drawings       ...  98 


CATALOGUE. 


A.   THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 

There  are  th  ee  possibilities  in  the  production  of  blocks 
and  plates  to  be  used  as  printing  forms  in  the  press,  accord- 
ing to  which  all  printing  processes  are  classified  as  : —  (i.) 
Relief  processes ;  (2.)  intaglio  p7^ocesses ;  (3.)  planographic 
processes. 

The  relief  processes  produce  blocks,  generally  of 
wood,  but  occasionally  also  of  other  material,  of  which  those 
parts  which  are  to  carry  the  printing  ink  are  left  standing 
in  relief  above  the  body  of  the  material  out  of  which  they 
are  made,  while  the  parts  which  are  to  show  white  in  the 
printed  picture  are  cut  away.  If  such  a  block  is  inked  on 
the  surface  of  the  parts  left  standing,  care  being  taken  to 
keep  the  ink  out  of  the  hollows,  or  parts  cut  away,  and  a 
piece  of  paper  or  other  suitable  material  is  pressed  against 
the  block  so  inked,  the  result  will  be  an  impression.  The 
printing  process,  in  this  case,  is  a  stamping  process. 

The  intaglio  processes  produce  plates,  generally  of 
metal,  but  occasionally  also  of  other  material,  in  which 
the  parts  that  are  to  carry  the  printing  ink  are  intagliated 
(cut  in),  so  that  they  form  hollows,  while  those  parts  which 
are  to  show  white  in  the  printed  picture  are  left  standing. 
If  such  a  plate  is  inked  so  as  to  fill  the  intagliated  parts 
with  the  ink,  and,  after  the  surface  has  been  carefully 
cleaned  to  remove  all  superfluous  ink  from  it,  a  piece  of 
paper  or  other  suitable  material  is  pressed  against  it,  the 
result  will  again  be  an  impression.  But,  instead  of  a 
stamping  process,  the  printing  operation  is,  in  this  case,  an 
embossing  process. 

The  planographic  processes  {planus,  plane,  graphein, 
to  write,  to  grave),  finally,  use  printing  surfaces  that  are, 
essentially  at  least,  flat.  The  designs  produced  upon  these 
surfaces  accept  the  printing  ink,  whereas  those  parts  which 


2 


CATALOGUE. 


are  to  show  white  in  the  printed  picture  refuse  it  under 
the  conditions  utilized  in  the  printing  process.  The  pro- 
duction of  the  designs  involves  chemical  action,  and  the 
printing  process  depends  upon  physical  properties.  It 
stands  to  reason  that,  if  such  a  surface  is  inked  under  the 
proper  conditions,  and  a  piece  of  paper  or  other  suitable 
material  is  pressed  against  it,  the  result,  as  in  the  two  pre- 
ceding cases,  will  be  an  impression.  The  materials  used  as 
printing  surfaces  in  the  older  planographic  processes  are 
stone  {lithography^^  or  metal,  commonly  zinc  (zincography^ , 
To  these  materials  the  photo-mechanical  processes  have 
added  glutinous  substances  (coUographic processes). 

1.  Relief  block,  intaglio  plate,  and  planographic  printing  sur- 
face, in  schematic  representation,  showing  how  two  lines  of  different 
width  are  produced,  (a.)  by  leaving  them  standing  in  relief,  {b^  by 
cutting  them  into  the  plate,  (r.)  by  drawing  them  on  the  surface.  Note 
that  in  b  the  lines  differ  not  only  in  width,  but  also  in  depth,  and  that 
consequently  in  the  impression  produced  there  must  be,  not  only  a  dif- 
ference in  width,  but  also  in  the  quantity  of  ink  deposited  on  the  paper, 
whereas  in  a  and  c,  which  print  from  the  surface,  there  is  only  differ- 
ence of  width.  This  is  one  of  the  reasons  why  impressions  from  in- 
taglio plates  are  richer  than  those  from  relief  blocks  or  planographic 
surfaces. 

2.  Impressions  from  a  relief  block,  one  of  them  without  ink, 
printed,  purposely,  with  a  soft  overlay  on  moist  paper,  to  show  that 
printing  from  such  blocks  is  a  stamping  p7'ocess.  In  actual  printing  the 
impression  is  kept  as  flat  as  possible. 

3.  Impression  from  an  intaglio  plate,  without  ink,  to  show 
that  printing  from  such  plates  is  an  embossing  process.  This  embossing 
of  the  lines,  which  causes  them  to  stand  out  above  the  paper,  and  to 
throw  a  shadow,  is  another  reason  of  the  greater  richness  of  impres- 
sions from  intagliated  plates,  as  compared  with  impressions  from  the 
surface.  Great  care  is  therefore  taken  in  fine  printing  to  prevent  the 
crushing  of  the  lines.  (No  uninked  impression  from  a  planographic 
surface  is  shown,  as  such  an  impression  would  produce  no  result.) 

4.  Positive  and  negative  impressions  from  a  relief  block. 
For  the  positive  impression  the  block  was  inked  on  the  surface,  as 
usual;  for  the  negative  impression  it  was  inked  in  the  hollows,  like  an 
intaglio  plate. 

5.  Positive  and  negative  impressions  from  an  intaglio  plate. 

For  the  positive  impression  the  plate  was  inked  in  the  hollows,  as 
usual;  for  the  negative  impression  it  was  inked  on  the  surface,  like  a 
relief  block.  It  will  be  seen  that  in  these  two  cases,  Nos.  4  and  5,  the 
method  of  inking  and  the  results  reached  are  the  exact  opposites.  (No 
such  opposite  results  can  be  obtained  from  a  plapographic  surface.) 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


3 


I.    RELIEF  PROCESSES. 

I.  Wood-cutting  (and  relief  engraving  on  metal). 
Printing  from  relief  blocks  cut  or  engraved  for  the  purpose 
seems  to  be  the  oldest  method  applied  to  the  production 
of  pictures  by  mechanical  means.  It  may  be  said  that,  so 
far  as  Europe  is  concerned,  such  printing  was  first  more 
extensively  practiced  in  Germany  and  the  Netherlands 
about  the  beginning  of  the  15th  century.  The  oldest 
dated  pictures  printed  from  relief  blocks,  so  far  known,  are 
the  "Virgin,"  of  1418,  in  the  Brussels  Cabinet,  and  the 
**St.  Christopher,"  of  1423,  in  the  possession  of  Earl 
Spenser.  As  a  rule,  these  blocks,  from  the  beginnings  of 
the  art  to  the  end  of  the  i8th  century,  were  executed  on 
wood,  —  such  as  cherry,  pear,  etc.,  and  in  later  times  box- 
wood,—  cut  in  the  direction  of  the  fiber,  that  is  to  say,  on 
planks.  The  tools  used  were  knives.  The  aim  of  these 
wood-cuts,  properly  so  called,  was  the  reproduction  of 
designs  in  black  lines  on  a  light  ground,  or,  in  other 
words,  of  drawings  in  lines.  As  these  cuts  were  in  many 
cases  actual  facsimiles  of  such  drawings,  they  are  com- 
monly spoken  of  as  black-line  facsimile  work.  The  draw- 
ings were  usually  executed  upon  the  plank  in  pen  and  ink, 
or  sometimes  on  thin  paper,  which  was  pasted  on  the 
wood  face  downward,  and  the  task  of  the  wood-cutter  was 
confined  to  the  cutting  away  of  the  wood  between  the 
lines  of  the  drawing.  Sometimes  relief  blocks  were  exe- 
cuted also  on  metal,  in  which  case  gravers  were  used 
instead  of  knives. 

6.  Methods  of  cutting  wood  for  relief  blocks :  —  (^.)  in  the 
direction  of  the  fiber  or  grain,  as  for  the  old  wood-^-w//  (/^)  across  the 
fiber  or  grain,  as  for  modern  wood-etigraving. 

7.  Knives  used  by  the  old  wood-cutters.  Enlarged  from  the 
representations  of  tools  which  often  accompany  the  monograms  of  the 
wood-cutters  on  old  cuts.    Figure  a  is  the  most  common  form. 

8.  Knives  used  by  Papillon.  From  his^Traite  de  la  gravure 
en  bois,"  Paris :  1766. 

9.  A  i6th  Century  Wood-cutter  at  Work.  The  oldest  represen- 
tation of  the  kind  known.  From  Jost  Amman's  Beschreibung  aller 
Stande,"  Francfort :  1568.  (Facsimile.) 

10.  Papillon's  Way  of  Holding  the  Knife.  From  his  "Traite," 
Paris:  1766. 


CA  TALOGUE. 


11.  A  cut  wood-block,  probably  of  the  15th  century  and  of 
French  origin,  with  a  (modern)  impression  from  it. 

12.  A  15th  Century  Printer  at  Work,  showing  the  press  and  the  1 
method  of  inking  with  balls.    (The  earliest  impressions  from  wood-cuts 
were  probably  obtained  by  rubbing  the  paper  on  the  back,  as  it  lay  on 
the  block.) 

13.  The  St.  Christopher  of  1423.  (Facsimile.) 

14.  Four  cuts  from  Diirer's  "Little  Passion."    Published  151 1. 

15.  The  Virgin  with  the  Apple,  adored  by  Angels.  Designed 
by  Diirer.    Dated  15 18. 

16.  Battlescene.  From  "  Der  Weisskunig."  Designed  by  Hans 
Burgkmair  about  15 10. 

17.  Four  cuts  from  Holbein's  "  Imagines  mortis."  Cut  by 
Hans  Liitzelburger.  From  the  Basel  edition  of  1554.  (The  first  edition 
is  Lyons :  1538.) 

18.  Portrait  of  Sebastian  Sergius.     Italian  wood-cut.  Pub- 
lished at  Verona,  1540. 

ig.  The  Temptation  of  Christ.  Cut  by  C.  Jegher,  about  1630, 
from  a  design  by  Rubens. 

20.  Six  Rewards  of  Merit.  Cut  by  J.  F.  G.  Unger  (died  1804), 
from  designs  by  J.  W.  Meil. 

2.  Old  White-Line  Work.  (Dotted  prints  ;  maniere 
criblee.)  The  relief  blocks  engraved  on  metal,  mentioned 
in  the  preceding  paragraph,  imitated  drawings  in  black 
lines ^  like  the  wood-cuts.  The  natural  result,  however, 
of  the  graver,  when  used  for  the  production  of  relief 
blocks,  is  the  white  line.  The  graver  removes  the  wood 
or  metal  along  its  path.  If,  after  a  line  with  the  graver 
has  thus  been  drawn,  the  surface  of  the  block  is  inked, 
it  prints  black,  while  the  line,  being  free  from  ink,  shows 
white.  The  white  line  forms  the  starting  point  of  modern 
vjood-engraving^  but  it  was  utilized  to  some  extent  also 
towards  the  end  of  the  15th  and  at  the  beginning  of  the 
1 6th  century,  probably  by  goldsmiths  who  found  it  desir- 
able to  produce  relief  blocks  for  printing,  but  preferred 
to  use  the  materials  and  the  tools  familiar  to  them,  that  is 
to  say,  metal  and  gravers  and  punches.  With  the  gravers 
they  cut  the  lines,  and  with  the  punches  they  produced  the 
dots  which  are  seen  in  many,  although  by  no  means  in  all, 
of  these  prints,  and  from  which  they  have  been  named 
dotted  prints.  These  dots,  however,  are  merely  an  incident, 
the  chief  characteristic  being  that  both  the  dots  and  the 
lines  are  relieved  white  on  a  dark  ground,  the  white  lines 
often  crossing  one  another,  as  in  modern  wood-engraving^ 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


i  while  black  lines  on  a  white  ground  are  used  only  in  the 
high  lights,  where  they  cannot  be  avoided.  It  is  more 
than  likely,  therefore,  that  these  blocks  were  engraved  on 
metal  by  goldsmiths,  and  the  predilection  for  ornament 
apparent  in  many  of  them  points  in  the  same  direction 
(see  No.  22).  Occasionally,  however,  wood  was  evidently 
used.  An  example  of  dotting  on  wood  is  supplied  by  the 
block  here  shown  (see  No.  11),  in  its  upper  left  hand 
corner  (upper  right  in  the  impression).  Another  class  of 
old  white-line  work  is  illustrated  by  No.  24. 

21.  St.  Ann  with  the  Virgin  and  Child. 

22.  The  Crowning  of  the  Virgin.    Colored  by  hand. 

23.  The  Crucifixion.  Colored  by  hand.  A  very  instructive  spec- 
imen, as  it  is  worked  almost  entirely  in  white  lines,  either  parallel  or 
crossing  one  another. 

24.  St.  Francis  writing  in  a  Garden. 

3.  Modern  Wood -Engraving.  The  old  v^ood-cutfcr 
worked  with  knives  on  planks,  the  modern  wood-engraver 
works  with  gravers  and  similar  tools  on  wood  cut  across 
the  grain  (see  No.  6).  The  old  black-line  wood-cuts  are 
essentially  facsimiles  of  drawings.  With  the  introduction 
of  modern  wood-engraving  the  7u/iite  line  came  into  use,  it 
being,  as  before  stated,  the  natural  result  of  the  graver 
when  used  for  the  production  of  relief  blocks.  Further- 
more, the  white  line  led  to  the  development  of  engrav- 
ing (see  No.  39).  While,  therefore,  the  old  wood-cutter 
had  only  one  resource,  the  black  line^  the  modern  wood- 
engraver  has  three,  the  black  line,  the  ^vhite  line^  and  tints 
in  infinite  variety.  It  was  the  development  of  tint  en- 
graving which  enabled  the  modern  wood-engraver  to  sug- 
gest the  effects  of  painting.  The  introduction  of  the 
graver  and  of  wood  cut  across  the  grain,  and  of  their 
result,  the  white  line,  is  generally  credited  to  Thomas 
Bewick  (b.  1753,  d.  1828),  who  was  the  first  to  make 
extended  use  of  these  means,  although  isolated  attempts 
in  the  same  direction  had  been  made  before.  With  the 
introduction  of  the  white  line,  the  methods  of  placing  the 
design  on  the  block  also  underwent  a  change.  The  draw- 
ings in  line  were  first  superseded  by  washed  drawings,  and 
these  by  photographs  on  the  wood.    As  washes  and  photo- 


6 


CATALOGUE, 


graphs  naturally  give  masses  only,  it  was  left  to  the 
engraver  to  find  his  own  lines,  so  that  his  work  made 
much  greater  demands  upon  his  skill  than  that  of  the  old 
wood-cutter.  In  the  specimens  shown  (Nos.  40-53),  the 
rich  resources  of  modern  wood-engraving  are  well  illus- 
trated. No.  40  is  essentially  white-line  engraving  in  Be- 
wick^s  manner.  Nos.  41  and  42  are  black-Hne  work  from 
drawings.  No.  43  is  partly  black-line  work  in  imitation 
of  copper-plate  engraving,  in  combination  with  white  line. 
Nos.  44  to  53  show  all  the  means  at  command  in  various 
combinations. 

25.  A  box-wood  block,  as  prepared  for  engravers.  The  graver 
lines  cut  into  the  block,  blackened  with  ink,  in  one  of  its  corners,  show 
clearly  the  production  of  the  white  line. 

26.  A  wood-block  with  a  washed  drawing  on  it. 

27.  A  wood-block  with  a  photograph  from  nature. 

28.  Tools  used  by  wood-engravers.  The  printed  sheet  shows 
the  great  variety  of  tools  from  which  the  engraver  can  choose,  not  only 
according  to  the  kind  of  work  to  be  done,  but  also  according  to  his 
individuality.  The  gravers  formed  part  of  the  outfit  of  the  late  Frederic 
Juengling. 

29.  Way  of  holding  the  graver. 

30.  Routing-machine.  Used  for  cutting  away  large  portions 
of  the  block  that  are  to  show  white  in  the  impression. 

31.  Modern  Wood-Engraver  at  Work.  From  Harper's  Mag- 
azine. 

32.  Engraved  wood-block,  with  proof  from  it.  From  the  John 
Andrew  &  Son  Co.'s  establishment.  (The  original  from  which  the  block 
was  engraved  hangs  ^bove  the  case.) 

33.  Electrotype  from  the  block  No.  32.  Wood-engravings  are 
almost  invariably  printed  from  electrotypes  (except  for  proofs),  as  the 
block  itself  could  not  stand  the  wear  and  tear  of  a  large  edition.  To 
obtain  an  electrotype,  a  wax  mould  is  made  from  the  engraved  block, 
and  upon  this  copper  is  deposited  by  means  of  electricity.  The  copper 
shell  thus  obtained  is  backed  with  type-metal,  and  mounted  on  a  wooden 
block. 

34.  A  Modern  Printer  printing  Proofs  at  the  Hand-press. 

From  Harper's  Monthly.  —  A  modern  hand-press. 

35.  A  steam  press.  All  illustrated  magazines  and  books,  except 
occasionally  a  "limited  edition,"  are  printed  from  electrotypes  on  steam 
presses  which  do  the  inking  automatically,  and  throw  off  from  600  to 
1,000  sheets  of  from  4  to  64  pages  per  hour.  —  In  the  Press  Room. 
From  Harper's  Monthly. 

36.  Proof  and  print  from  a  wood  engraving,  "  Morning  on  the 
Marsh,"  by  Geo.  A.  Teel  (The  John  Andrew  &  Son  Co.),  after  J.  Francis 
Murphy.    The  proof  was  printed  from  the  original  block,  on  Japanese 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


7 


paper,  on  the  hand  press.  The  print  is  from  an  electrotype,  printed  on 
the  steam  press,  on  book  paper. 

37.  Underlaying  and  overlaying.  If  all  engraved  blocks  and 
all  presses  were  mathematically  true,  the  pressure  sufficient  on  all 
parts  of  the  block,  and  the  engraver  always  absolutely  successful  in  all 
parts  of  his  work,  the  printing  might  begin  without  further  preparation 
as  soon  as  the  block  is  finished.  As,  however,  these  conditions  are 
never  realized,  a  good  deal  depends  upon  the  making  ready  "  by  the 
printer.  This  consists  in  placing  pieces  of  paper  under  the  block 
{underlaying)  and  arranging  others  in  the  press  so  that  they  exercise 
unequal  pressure  on  the  block  from  above  {overlaying).  The  process 
is  illustrated  by  the  various  impressions  shown,  with  the  "  underlay  "  and 
the  "  overlay  "  used. 

38.  The  Ruling  Machine  {a.)  is  largely  used  for  engraving 
straight  and  waved  lines,  radiating  lines,  circles,  etc.  The  sample 
sheet  {b,)  shows  the  various  kinds  of  work  it  is  capable  of  doing.  In 
(<:.)  the  iforeground  is  machine-ruled  in  one  direction,  the  background 
in  two  directions.  In  (</.)  all  the  straight  lines  in  the  piece  of  machin- 
ery represented  are  machine  work. 

39.  The  Resources  of  Modern  Wood-Engraving  (see  p.  5). 
First  card:  (a.)  A  head  in  l:)lack  line;  {b.)  a  head  in  white  line;  {c.) 
a  bit  of  foreground  in  ]:)lack  line;  (^.)  a  bit  of  foreground  in  white 
line.  Second  card  :  Tints,  flat  and  gradated,  consisting  of  parallel  lines, 
straight  and  waved,  and  mottled  tints,  produced  by  dots  and  other 
means.  In  these  tints  the  proportion  of  white  and  black  produces 
value,  whereas  the  character  of  the  lines  and  dots  used  produces  quality. 

40.  Hunting  Scene.  Engraved  by  Dr.  Alexander  Anderson  (b. 
1775,  d.  1870),  after  Riedinger.  (Reproduction.) 

41.  Portrait  of  Ernst  Keil.  Drawn  on  wood  from  a  photograph 
by  Adolf  Neumann;  engraved  in  the  establishment  of  Aug.  Neumann. 

42.  The  Round  Table  of  Frederic  the  Great  at  Sanssouci. 
Engraved  by  A.  Vogel,  from  a  drawing  by  Adolf  Menzel. 

•  43.  Scene  from  Jerusalem  Delivered.  Engraved  by  C.  Nesbit, 
181 8,  from  a  drawing  by  J.  Thurston. 

44.  From  Dante's  Paradiso.  Engraved  by  Pannemaker-Doms, 
from  a  washed  drawing  on  the  block  by  Gustave  Dore. 

45.  The  Orphan.    Engraved  by  Baude  from  a  painting  by  Henner. 

46.  Sleeping  Girl.  Engraved  by  W.  J.  Linton,  from  a  painting 
by  Ehhu  Vedder. 

47.  Winifred  Dysart.  Engraved  by  Wm.  B.  Closson,  from  a 
painting  by  George  Fuller,  photographed  on  the  wood. 

48.  The  Romany  Girl.  Engraved  by  Frederic  Juengling,  from 
a  painting  l^y  (ieorge  Fuller,  photographed  on  the  wood. 

49.  The  Close  of  Day.  Engraved  by  Wm.  Miller,  from  a  paint- 
ing by  George  Inness,  photographed  on  the  wood. 

50.  Miss  Bradley  Martin  Engraved  by  T.  Johnson,  from  a 
painting  by  Carolus  Duran,  photographed  on  the  wood. 

51.  Evening.  Engraved  by  Wm.  Jay  Dana,  from  a  painting  by 
Corot,  photographed  on  the  wood.  The  dry-point  has  been  used  largely 
on  this  block,  especially  in  the  foreground. 


8 


CATALOGUE, 


52.  Old  Well.  Engraved  by  Elbridge  Kingsley,  from  a  painting 
by  J.  Francis  Murphy,  photographed  on  the  wood.  There  is  considera- 
ble roulette  work  in  this  engraving. 

53.  Portrait  of  Thonaas  Jefferson.  Engraved  by  G.  Kruell, 
from  a  painting  by  Gilbert  Stuart,  photographed  on  the  wood.  Shown 
in  two  states. 

4.  Modern  Plank  Cutting.  For  very  large  work, 
such  as  posters,  planks  are  still  used,  but  the  cutting  is 
done  with  instruments  called  scrives  (hollow  gravers,  pine 
tools)  and  gouges,  instead  of  knives,  and  with  machines. 

54.  Impression  from  an  engraved  plank. 

55.  Scrives  and  a  gouge. 

5.  Relief  engraving  applied   to  color-printing. 

Color-printing  from  relief  blocks  may  be  said  to  be  older 
than  all  other  kinds  of  printing,  as  woven  stuffs  were 
stamped  in  colors  long  before  the  15th  century.  It  is 
worth  noting  also  that  the  oldest  book  with  a  printed  date 
at  present  known,  Fust  and  Schoeffer's  Psalter  of  1457, 
is  at  the  same  time  the  first  dated  specimen  of  color-print- 
ing. The  printing  in  this  book  is,  however,  confined  to 
ornamental  letters.  The  oldest  dated  specimens  of  picture- 
printing  in  two  colors  (black  and  a  tint)  are  a  St.  Chris- 
topher'' (see  No.  57)  and  a  Venus  and  Cupid,"  from 
designs  by  Lucas  Cranach,  of  the  year  1506.  Such  prints 
in  black  and  one  or  more  tints  or  in  tints  only  (chiaros- 
curos), were  produced  in  considerable  numbers  during  the 
i6th  and  17th  centuries.  Among  the  earliest  prints  in 
positive  colors  are  Jost  de  Necker's  "Portrait  of  Jacob 
Fugger,"  and  Altdorfer's  Beautiful  Mary  of  Ratisbonne," 
both  of  the  earlier  part  of  the  i6th  century.  Relief  blocks 
for  color-printing  are  often  engraved  on  metal.  The 
specimens  shown  sufficiently  explain  the  way  in  which  the 
colors  are  printed  one  upon  the  other  to  produce  the  final 
result. 

56.  A  set  of  seven  woodrblocks,  cut  by  F.  W.  Gubitz,  Berlin, 
about  1 81 5,  for  a  color-print  in  seven  printings,  with  an  impression 
from  them. 

57.  St.  Christopher.  Chiaroscuro  from  two  blocks,  from  a  design 
by  Lucas  Cranach.  Dated  1506.  Shown  in  two  states,  black  only,  and 
black  with  a  tint. 

58.  The  Death  of  Ananias.  Chiaroscuro  from  three  blocks,  by 
Ugo  da  Carpi,  after  Raphael.    15 18.    (Date  cut  off.) 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


9 


||i  59.  The  Adoration  of  the  Magi.  Chiaroscuro  from  three  blocks, 
•1  by  Giuseppe  Nicola  Vicentino  (i6th  century),  after  Parmegiano. 

60.  Peace  and  Plenty.  Chiaroscuro  from  two  blocks,  dated  1627, 
i  by  Bartolomeo  Coriolano,  after  Guido  Reni. 

61.  Female  Street  Sweeper  and  Child.  Set  of  progressive 
j  proofs  from  a  chiaroscuro  of  three  blocks,  by  Branston,  after  W.  M. 
1  Craig.    From  Savage's  "  Hints  on  Decorative  Printing,"  London:  1822. 

62.  Landscape.  Color-print  from  fourteen  blocks,  by  J.  Thomp- 
:  son,  after  J.  Varley.    From  Savage's  "  Hints,"  London  :  1822. 

63.  Sure  of  her  Victory.  Color-print  from  seven  blocks,  after 
R.  Lotter.    Engraved  in  the  establishment  of  R.  Bong,  Berlin. 

6.  Japanese  Wood-Cutting.  The  reproductive  art- 
ists of  Japan  still  adhere  to  the  methods  which  were  in 
vogue  in  Europe  in  the  isth  century  ;  that  is  to  say,  they 
use  planks  and  knives,  draw  their  designs  on  sheets  of 
thin  paper  which  they  paste,  face  downward,  on  the  wood, 
and  obtain  their  impressions  by  rubbing  the  back  of  the 
sheet  as  it  lies  on  the  block.  The  printing  colors  used  are 
water  colors,  and  the  blocks  are  charged  with  them  by 
brushes.  Most  of  the  Japanese  wood-cuts  are  color-prints 
requiring  a  large  number  of  impressions.  A  specimen  in 
the  U.  S.  National  Museum  has  33  printings,  and  accord- 
ing to  Prof.  Fenollosa  as  many  as  120  printings  have  been 
used.  This  does  not,  however,  imply  the  cutting  of  an 
equal  number  of  blocks,  since,  owing  to  the  method  of 
inking,  one  and  the  same  block  may  be  used  repeatedly  to 
produce  different  results,  by  painting  it  partially  and  in 
different  parts  with  different  colors.  Gradations  are  also 
produced,  not  by  the  wood-cutter,  but  by  the  printer  on  the 
block,  with  the  brush  or  by  wiping. 

64.  Cut  Japanese  wood-block.  One  of  the  blocks  used  for 
printing  No.  69. 

65.  Japanese  knife,  chisels,  etc.,  used  by  wood-cutters. 

66.  Japanese  Wood-cutter  at  Work.  Photograph  from  a  Japan- 
ese water-color  drawing. 

67.  Japanese  Printer  at  Work.  Photograph  from  a  Japanese 
water-color  drawing. 

68.  Baren.  The  instrument  used  by  the  printer  to  obtain  the 
impression  by  rubbing  the  back  of  the  sheet  after  it  has  been  laid  down 
on  the  block. 

69.  Set  of  progressive  proofs  for  a  design  for  a  fan,  printed  in 
six  colors. 

70.  Japanese  wood-cut.    End  of  the  i8th  century. 

71.  Japanese  wood-cut.    First  half  of  the  19th  century. 


CATALOGUE. 


II.    INTAGLIO  PROCESSES.  \\ 

The  various  intaglio  processes  differ  so  markedly  frorJ*' 
one  another  in  their  results,  that  it  is  difficult,  at  first  sightl 
to  recognize  their  relationship.    There  is  no  resemblanctlo^ 
whatever,  apparently,  between  a  line  engraving   and  al( 
mezzotint.    Nevertheless  these  two  processes  have  this  inl« 
common  with  all  other  processes  belonging  to  the  samel 
class,  that  the  ink  is  forced  into  cavities  formed  in  the  I 
plate,  —  instead  of  being  laid  on  the  surface,  as  in  printing  I 
from  relief  blocks,  —  although  in  the  one  case  the  cavities 
may  be  easily  measurable,  while  in  the  other  they  are 
almost  microscopic.    According  to  the  means  of  delinea- 
tion used,  the  intaglio  processes  may  be  divided  into  four 
classes  : —  (i.)  Those  working  principally  with  lines  (line 
engraving,  dr3^-pointing  without  bur,  etching  in  lines)  ;  (2.) 
those  working  principally  with  dots  or  a  grain  (punching, 
imitation  of  crayon  drawing,  stippling,  soft-ground  etching, 
the  sand-manner) j  (3.)  those  which  more  or  less  try  to 
do  away  with  lines  and  dots  as  such,  substituting  therefor 
masses  which  have  the  appearance  of  continuous  flat  or 
gradated  tints  (dry-pointing  with  bur,  aquatinting,  mezzo- 
tinting, lavis,  etc.)  ;  (4.)  those  methods  in  which  the  vari- 
ous means  just  named  are  combined.    The  plates  used  in 
these  processes  are  usually  of  metal,  such  as  copper, 
copper-alloy,  steel,  or  zinc,  but  glass  (for  etching),  and 
wood,  celluloid,  etc.  (for  engraving),  have  also  been  used. 

I.  Graver  Work.  (Line  engraving.)  This,  being 
the  most  difficult,  has  always  been  considered  also  the 
most  noble  of  the  various  ways  of  engraving.  The  process 
is  as  follows  :  —  An  etching-ground  (see  under  "  Etching  ") 
is  laid  on  the  plate,  and  upon  this  the  outlines  of  the 
design  are  traced  or  transferred  by  pressure.  After  these 
outlines  have  been  delicately  cut  into  the  plate  through  the 
ground  with  a  sharp  steel  point,  the  ground  is  removed, 
and  the  work  is  executed  on  the  bare  plate  with  gravers  or 
burins.  Besides  these  the  engraver  uses  also  the  scraper, 
to  remove  the  bur  (see  under  "  Dry-pointing  ")  thrown  up 
by  the  graver,  and  the  burnisher,  to  burnish  the  plate  if 
that  should  become  necessary.    The  dry-point  is  also 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


ibmployed  sometimes  for  the  most  delicate  part  of  the 
:  A^ork,  but  merely  as  an  auxiliary  of  the  graver,  and  not  as 
Ian  instrument  having  an  individuality  of  its  own.  The 
iDldest  dated  plate  engraved  with  the  burin,  so  far  known,  is 
of  the  year  1446.  The  specimens  shown  in  this  division 
(Nos.  77-90)  are  all  pure  graver  work.  The  term  ^'  line 
engraving"  generally  applied  to  work  of  this  kind  is  some- 
what misleading,  as  dots  made  with  the  graver  are  very 
often  used  in  it  in  combination  with  line-work. 

72.  Copper  plate. 

73.  Engraver's  tools :  —  (a.)  Gravers,  one  with  handle,  three 
without  handles;  (^.)  scraper;  (<:.)  burnisher. 

74.  Way  of  Holding  the  Graver.  From  Bosse's  "  Traite,"  Paris : 
1645. 

75.  A  17th  Century  Printer  at  Work.     From  Bosse's  "Traite." 

76.  Modern  copper-plate  press. 

77  The  Sibyl  showing  the  Madonna  to  the  Emperor  Augus- 
tus.   By  the  Master  E.  S.,  known  also  as  the  Master  of  1466. 

78.  Salamon  Profeta.  By  an  unknown  Florentine  engraver  of 
the  15th  century. 

79.  Part  of  a  Roman  Triumph.  Unfinished.  By  Andrea  Man- 
tegna  (b.  1431,  d.  1506). 

80.  The  Flight  into  Egypt.  By  Martin  Schongauer  (b.  1450? 
d.  149 1  ?). 

81.  Adam  and  Eve.    Dated  1504.    By  Albrecht  Diirer. 

82.  The  Virgin  seated  upon  Clouds.  By  Marcantonio  Raimondi 
(b.  1475?,  1534). 

83.  The  Marriage  at  Cana.  By  Hans  Sebald  Beham  (b.  1500, 
d.  1550). 

84.  Ornamental  Composition.  Dated  1544.  By  Hans  Sebald 
Beham. 

85.  The  Prodigal  Son.    Dated  1540.    By  Hans  Sebald  Beham. 

86.  Science.    By  Hendrick  Goltzius  (b.  1558,  d.  161 6). 

87.  St.  Francis  in  Prayer.    Dated  161 3.    By  F.  Villamena. 

88.  Portrait  of  Pierre  Seguier.   Dated  1639.  By  Claude  Mellan. 

89.  Portrait  of  Pompone  de  Bellievre.  Engraved  1657.  By 
Robert  Nanteuil,  after  Charles  Le  Brun. 

90.  The  Little  Physicist.  Dated  1761.  Engraved  by  J.  G.  Wille 
after  Caspar  Netscher. 

91.  Portrait  of  a  Man.  After  Rubens.  Engraved  on  wood, 
with  graver  and  dry-point,  by  Wm.  Miller.  The  proofs  were  printed 
from  an  electrotype,  retouched  with  the  dry-point. 

2.  Dry-Pointing,  —  so  called  because  the  work  of  the 
point  is  not  followed  by  the  use  of  a  fluid,  as  in  etching, 
—  is  executed  upon  the  bare  plate  with  steel  points,  held 


12 


CATALOGUE. 


like  a  pencil.  It  is,  indeed,  simply  scratching  on  copper.  I 
A  scratch  made  with  a  point  does  not  remove  the  metal,  I 
but  turns  it  over  alongside  of  the  furrow,  producing  a 
ridge  which  rises  above  the  plate,  and  is  called  the  bur. 
This  bur  retains  the  ink  when  the  plate  is  wiped  after  it 
has  been  inked,  and  causes  the  rich,  velvety  blacks  char- 
acteristic of  most  dry-point  plates.  When  these  blacks 
are  not  wanted,  the  bur  can  be  removed  by  scraping,  in 
which  case  the  ink  is  retained  only  by  the  furrows.  There 
are,  therefore,  two  kinds  of  dry-point  work: — with  and 
without  bur.  A  very  characteristic  mark,  by  which  dry- 
pointing  can  often  be  detected,  is  the  white  line  produced 
by  the  back  of  the  bur  in  printing.  As  the  back  of  the 
bur  stands  above  the  plate  in  relief,  it  is,  or  at  least  may 
be,  wiped  clean  by  the  hand  of  the  printer,  and  the  result 
is  a  white  line  stamped  into  the  paper,  and  running  par- 
allel to  the  furrow  out  of  which  the  bur  was  thrown  up. 
These  white  lines,  however,  are  not  always  apparent,  as 
the  ink,  if  the  wiping  is  done  gently  and  the  bur  is  low, 
may  hide  them.  Dry-pointing  is  probably  quite  as  old  as 
engraving.  Diirer  executed  several  plates  in  this  wa}^, 
but  the  first  artist  of  note  to  use  the  dry-point  extensively 
was  Rembrandt.  All  the  specimens  shown  are  pure  dry- 
point,  that  is  to  say,  no  etching  was  used  on  the  plates 
from  which  they  were  printed.  On  some  of  them  the 
graver  has,  however,  been  employed  (see  No.  97),  but 
merely  as  a  more  vigorous  dry-point,  and  with  a  view  to 
utilizing  the  bur  thrown  up  by  it. 

92.  A  dry-pointed  plate,  "  Portrait  Study,"  with  a  set  of  pro- 
gressive proofs  from  it.    By  Jas.  D.  Smillie,  N.  A. 

93.  Points  used  for  dry-pointing,  one  round,  the  other  ground 
flat,  with  a  knife  edge. 

94.  The  Holy  Family.    By  Diirer.    Executed,  probably,  about 
1512. 

95.  Youth  and  Death.    By  Rembrandt.   Dated  1639.  The  bur 
has  either  been  removed,  or  has  worn  off  entirely. 

96.  The  Triumph  of  Mordecai.    By  Rembrandt. 

97.  The  Three  Crosses.    By  Rembrandt.   The  white  lines  men- 
tioned above  are  very  apparent  in  this  impression. 

98.  Portrait  of  Jan  Six.    By  Rembrandt.    Dated  1647. 

99.  Haarlem.    By  Charles  Storm  van's  Gravesande. 

100.  The  Towing  Path.    By  Francis  Seymour  Haden. 

101.  The  Fisherman's  Home.    By  Charles  Vanderhoef. 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES, 


13 


102.  Head  of  a  Girl.  By  Miss  M.  Louise  McLaughlin.  The 
white  lines,  although  delicate,  are  quite  apparent  in  this  proof,  and,  as 
the  paper  is  soft,  the  impression  made  by  some  of  the  ridges  of  bur  may 
be  seen  on  the  back. 

103.  Pansies.    By  Jas.  D.  Smillie,  N.  A. 

3.  Etching  marks  the  first  attempt  to  substitute  the 
forces  of  nature  for  the  activity  of  man  in  the  production 
of  printable  plates.  In  graver  work  the  hollows  which  are 
to  hold  the  ink  are  cut  by  hand.  In  etching  this  operation 
is  performed  by  chemical  means,  or  sometimes  by  electrical 
action.  To  make  an  etching,  a  metal  plate  is  covered  with 
an  etching  ground,  consisting  of  wax  and  resinous  sub- 
stances. There  are  solid  grounds,  which  are  melted  on 
the  heated  plate  and  distributed  by  dabbers  or  rollers, 
grounds  in  the  shape  of  paste,  which  are  similarly  laid,  and 
fluid  grounds,  which  are  flowed  on  the  plate  and  allowed 
to  dry  on  it.  If  lines  are  drawn  through  this  ground  with 
steel  points,  so  that  each  stroke  lays  bare  the  copper,  and 
the  plate  is  then  exposed  to  the  action  of  a  mordant,  the 
lines  are  bitten  into  the  plate  by  corrosion,  the  lest  of  the 
plate  being  protected  by  the  ground,  which  is  not  affected 
by  the  mordant.  A  plate  thus  bitten  can  be  printed,  after 
the  ground  has  been  washed  off,  like  any  other  intaglio 
plate.  There  are  many  mordants,  but  the  most  common 
is  nitric  acid  diluted  with  water.  The  biting  is  either 
done  in  a  tray,  in  which  case  the  back  and  the  margin  of 
the  plate  must  be  protected  from  the  action  of  the  mor- 
dant by  varnishing,  or  the  plate  itself  is  converted  into  a 
tray  by  building  up  on  its  margin  a  wall  of  wax,  which  holds 
the  mordant  poured  on  to  it.  The  width  and  depth  of  the 
lines,  and  therefore  the  gradations  in  the  result,  depend 
on  the  size  of  the  points  used  and  the  time  of  exposure  to 
the  mordant.  The  effect  of  varying  length  of  exposure  is 
generally  controlled  by  a  process  called  "stopping  out.'* 
The  drawing  having  been  completed,  the  plate  is  exposed 
to  the  action  of  the  mordant  until  those  lines  which  are  to 
print  lightest  hav^e  been  sufficiently  bitten.  It  is  then 
washed  and  these  Unes  are  painted  over  with  varnish,  that 
is  to  say  "  stopped  out."  The  plate  is  then  again  exposed 
to  the  action  of  the  mordant,  and  the  biting  continued  in 
the  lines  which  have  not  been  stopped  out.    This  opera- 


14 


CATALOGUE. 


tion  can,  of  course,  be  repeated,  and  thus  as  many  grada- 
tions secured  as  may  be  needed.  Etching  was  probably 
first  used  for  the  production  of  printable  plates  by  the 
Hopfers,  a  German  family  of  artists,  about  the  beginning 
of  the  1 6th  century.  All  the  specimens  shown  in  this  divi- 
sion, except  No.  112,  are  pure  etchings,  executed  without 
the  aid  of  graver  or  dry-point. 

104.  A  plate,  one  third  bare,  one  third  grounded,  one  third 
grounded  and  smoked,  i.  e.,  blackened  by  smoke  to  get  rid  of  the  glit- 
ter of  the  metal. 

105.  A  plate,  grounded  and  smoked,  with  a  design  traced  upon  it, 
and  partly  drawn  through  the  ground. 

106.  A  ball  of  etching  ground. 

107.  Dabber  {a.)  and  Roller        used  for  laying  the  ground. 

108.  Wax  torch,  for  smoking  the  ground. 

109.  Etching  points, 
no.    Etching  tray. 

111.  Etching  scale,  showing  the  result  of  the  use  of  points  of 
various  sizes,  and  of  stopping  out. 

112.  Etched  plate  (copper  alloy),  "Marine,"  by  W.  F.  Lansil, 
with  an  impression  from  it.    (There  is  some  dry-pointing  in  the  sky.) 

113.  Etched  plate  (zinc),  "  Sheep,"  after  Berghem,  with  an  im- 
pression from  it. 

114.  Etching  on  glass.  Impression  from  a  glass  plate,  etched 
with  hydrofluoric  acid. 

115.  An  Etcher's  Studio  in  the  1 8th  Century.  From  Bosse's 
"Traite,"  edition  of  1745. 

116.  A  Modern  Etcher  at  Work.  "Portrait  of  Mr.  Peter 
Moran,"  by  H.  R.  Poore.  Mr.  Moran  appears  left-handed,  as  the 
drawing  was  not  reversed  on  the  plate. 

117.  A  Modern  Etcher  taking  a  Proof.  Wood-engraving  by 
Baude,  after  Mathey.    From  Harper's  Bazar. 

118.  Rape  of  a  Young  Woman.  By  Diirer.  Dated  15 16. 
Etched  on  iron. 

iig.    Decorative  design.    By  Wendel  Dietterlin.  1593. 

120.  Titlepage  (1678).  —  The  Good  Samaritan  (from  a  series). 
By  Jonas  Umbach. 

121.  The  Holy  Family.    By  Guido  Reni  (b.  1579,  d.  1642). 

122.  Rest  on  the  Flight  to  Egypt.  By  Simone  Cantarini  (b. 
1612,  d.  1648). 

123.  Portrait  of  Justus  Suttermans.  By  Van  Dyck  (b.  1599, 
d.  1641). 

124.  Jesus  appearing  to  the  Disciples.  By  Rembrandt.  Dated 
1650. 

125.  Studies  of  Elephants.    By  F.  Nerly.    Dated  1828. 

126.  Dartmouth  Salt  Works.  By  R.  Swain  Gifford,  N.  A. 
Etched  on  zinc. 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


IS 


127.  Business  Neglected.    By  John  G.  Brown,  N.  A. 

128.  Sketch,  made  at  a  lecture  on  etching.  By  Walter  wShirlaw, 
N.  A. 

129.  A  Bit  of  Brook  with  some  Sheep.  By  Jas.  D.  Smillie, 
N.  A. 

4.  Forwarding  by  etching.  Nos.  77-90  illustrated 
pure  graver  work.  Very  few  plates,  however,  are  to-day 
executed  entirely  by  the  graver.  M-uch  of  the  work  is 
done  by  etching,  or  else  first  etched,  that  is  to  say,  "  for- 
warded by  etching,"  and  then  gone  over  or  trimmed  with 
the  burin,  to  make  it  harmonize  with  the  engraved  parts  of 
the  plate.  When  figures  and  landscape  occur  together, 
the  latter  is  generally  etched,  while  the  flesh  of  the  figures 
is  left  entirely  to  the  graver.  The  work  of  Woollet  and 
the  other  celebrated  English  landscape  engravers  is  largely 
etching.  In  portraits  the  hair  and  the  drapery,  and  some- 
times parts  of  the  flesh,  are  laid  in  by  etching,  and  the 
work  is  then  carried  to  a  finish  by  rebiting,  the  graver,  and 
the  dry-point.  The  Museum  is  quite  rich  in  working 
proofs  from  such  engravings,  showing  the  progress  of  the 
work,  but  as  they  are  mostly  of  large  size,  only  a  few  can 
be  shown.  According  to  Bartsch,  forwarding  by  etching 
was  first  practiced  in  the  17th  century. 

130.  Portrait  of  Lincoln.  Unfinished  steel-plate,  by  S.  A.  Schoff. 
The  head  shows  the  laying  in  with  acid.  On  the  drapery  there  is  heavy 
graver  work.  The  plate  has  been  covered  with  wax  to  protect  it  from 
rusting. 

131.  Portrait  of  Horace  Bushnell.    Engraved  by  S.  A.  Schoff. 

Set  of  working  proofs  from  the  first  etching  to  the  finished  state. 

132.  Ariadne.  Engraved  by  A.  B.  Durand,  after  J.  Vanderlyn. 
Only  two  working  states  are  shown,  the  first,  pure  etching,  and  the  last, 
before  lettering.    The  flesh  is  pure  graver  work. 

5,  Etchings  finished  with  graver  and  dry-point, 

Nos.  1 18-129  illustrated  pure  etching.  Comparatively  few 
"  etchings,"  however,  are  done  entirely  by  such  simple 
means.  In  most  cases  the  etcher  finds  it  desirable  to 
finish  his  plate  with  the  dry-point  (with  or  without  bur),  or 
with  the  graver.  These  instruments  are  used,  not  only  to 
remedy  defects,  but  to  reach  the  effects  aimed  at,  which 
etching  alone  will  not  always  secure.  The  reproductive 
etcher,  whose  task  it  is  to  give  as  correct  an  idea  as  possi- 
ble of  the  original  before  him,  finds  it  still  more  imperative 


i6 


CATALOGUE. 


to  utilize  all  means  at  his  command.  Very  few  etchings 
from  paintings,  therefore,  if  they  aim  to  give  more  than 
the  outlines  of  the  com.position,  are  entirely  the  work  of 
the  mordant. 

133.  Christ  crowned  with  Thorns.  By  Annibale  Carracci. 
Dated  1606.    Etching  and  graver. 

134.  Christ  Preaching.  By  Rembrandt.  Etching  and  dry-point 
with  bur. 

135.  Entrance  to  a  Wood.    By  Waterloo  (b.  1618?,  d.  1662?). 

Etching  strengthened  with  the  graver.  Worn  impression,  purposely 
chosen,  as  the  deeper  graver  touches  still  show  black  in  the  surrounding 
masses  of  gray  produced  by  the  worn  etched  lines. 

136.  The  Path  to  the  Shore.  By  R.  Swain  Gifford,  N.  A. 
Etching,  with  some  dry-point  work,  without  bur,  in  the  distance  and 
sky. 

137.  Near  the  Coast.  By  R.  Swain  Gifford,  N.  A.  As  this  is 
really  a  reproductive  etching,  from  a  painting  by  the  etcher,  there  is 
much  dr}^-point  work,  without  bur,  in  it,  especially  in  the  sky. 

138.  The  Prelude.  By  S.  A.  Schoff,  from  a  painting  by  Charles 
Sprague  Pearce.  Two  states  are  shown,  the  first,  pure  etching,  and  the 
last,  finished  with  graver  and  dry-point. 

6.  Punching  {opus  mallei^  work  of  the  hammer),  is 
the  forerunner  of  the  later  stipple  engraving.  The  tools 
used  are  steel  punches  of  various  kinds,  which  are  driven 
into  the  plate  by  the  blows  of  a  small  hammer.  The 
process  —  but  little  practiced  —  was  probably  invented  by 
some  goldsmith,  whose  craft  made  him  familiar  with  the 
use  of  the  punch.  Comparatively  many  of  the  plates  pro- 
duced by  this  process  are  the  work  of  goldsmiths,  and 
represent  patterns  for  their  use. 

139.  St.  John.  By  Giulio  Campagnola  (b.  1481).  Punching  in 
combination  with  engraved  lines. 

140.  Design  for  a  Vessel.  By  Paul  Flint  or  \lindt,  goldsmith 
(flourished  1 592-1 620). 

141.  Portrait  of  P.  C.  Hooft.  By  James  Lutma,  goldsmith  (d. 
about  1685).  The  impression  shown  is  washed  with  India  ink  in  the 
shadows. 

7.  Imitation  of  Crayon  Drawing  aims,  as  its  name 
indicates,  to  reproduce  drawings,  more  especially  those  in 
red  chalk,  with  all  the  peculiarities  due  to  the  material  and 
the  paper  used.  The  tools  of  the  crayon  engraver  are 
manifold,  —  roulettes  or  little  toothed  wheels  of  various 
kinds,  points  and  gravers,  both  simple  and  multiple, 


A,    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


|i  punches  with  one  or  more  points,  — and  all  these  are  em- 
ployed, sometimes  on  an  etching  ground,  for  biting,  some- 

j  times  on  the  bare  metal.  As  a  rule  the  plate  is  carried 
forward  as'  much  as  possible  by  the  aid  of  the  mordant, 
and  the  finishing  is  done  on  the  bare  copper.  The  inven- 
tion of  crayon  engraving  is  credited  to  Gilles  Demarteau 
(b.  1722,  d.  1776),  although,  like  most  other  inventions, 
it  has  been  contested. 

142.  The  Tools  used  by  Crayon  Engravers.  From  Bosse's 
"  Traite,"  edition  of  1758. 

143.  Roulettes. 

144.  Specimen  sheet,  showing  the  different  kinds  of  work  that 
can  be  done  with  roulettes  (and  other  instruments).  For  crayon  rou- 
lettes, see  especially  Figs.  A-F  in  lower  left-hand  corner. 

145.  •  Study  of  a  Head.    By  Gilles  Demarteau,  after  Raphael. 

146.  A  Satyr.    By  Gilles  Demarteau,  after  Carlo  Vanloo. 

147.  Allegory  on  the  Death  of  the  Dauphin.  1767.  By 
Gilles  Demarteau,  after  C.  N.  Cochin,  Jr. 

148.  Antique  Ruins.    By  L.  M.  Bonnet  (b.  1743),  after  Boucher. 

149.  Drawing  copies.  Unknown  French  engraver  of  the  i8th 
century. 

8.  Stippling.  This  is  a  refinement  of  the  previous 
process,  fitting  it  for  the  reproduction  of  works  other  than 
crayon  drawings.  The  tools  used  are  principally  points 
and  gravers,  and  occasionally  roulettes,  with  which  the 
drawing  is  executed  on  an  etching  ground.  It  is  then 
bitten  in,  and  afterwards  finished  with  the  same  tools  on 
the  bare  plate.  In  most  cases  Une  work  is  used  in  combi- 
nation with  stippling.  The  most  celebrated  stipple  engraver 
is  Bartolozzi  (b.  1730,  d.  18 13).  The  character  of  stipple 
engraving  changed  considerably  in  the  course  of  time. 
For  the  loose  manner  of  Bartolozzi  and  his  contempora- 
ries, later  engravers  substituted  a  formal  grouping  of  graver 
Hots,  bitten  to  bring  them  up  to  color  where  necessary, 
and  thus  produced  effects  which  are  often  cold  and  unpleas- 
ant, in  spite  of  elegance  and  perfection  of  workmanship. 

150.  Preparatory  etching  for  a  stipple  plate,  **The  Tempest,"  by 
J.  B.  Smith,  after  Romney. 

151.  Lord  Mansfield.  By  Bartolozzi,  after  Reynolds.  1786.  The 
face  and  hands  pure  stipple,  the  rest  largely  line  work. 

152.  Lord  Burghersh.    By  Bartolozzi,  after  Reynolds.  1788. 

153.  The  Infant  Academy.  By  Francis  Haward,  after  Reynolds. 
1783.    Almost  pure  stipple. 


i8 


CATALOGUE. 


154.  Mrs.  Siddons  as  the  Tragic  Muse.  By  Francis  Haward, 
after  Reynolds.  1787.  One  of  the  most  vigorous  pieces  of  stipphng 
ever  done. 

155.  Benjamin  West.  By  CaroHne  Watson,  after  G.  Stuart. 
1786.    One  of  the  most  deUcate  pieces  of  stipphng  in  the  old  style. 

156.  Portrait  of  Commodore  Bainbridge.  By  G.  Parker,  after 
J.  W.  Jarvis.    About  1834. 

157.  Portrait  of  Amy  Cranstoun.  By  G.  Parker,  after  C.  Ing- 
ham.   About  1834. 

158.  Desdemona.    By  H.  Robinson,  after  Hayter.  1836. 

159.  Portrait  of  Prof.  Faraday.  By  C.  H.  Jeens,  from  a  pho- 
tograph. 

9.  Soft-ground  Etching  aims  to  produce  the  effect  of 
pencil  (or  crayon)  drawings.  Ordinary  etching  ground, 
made  soft  by  melting  it  together  with  its  own  weight  in 
tallow,  is  spread  upon  a  metal  plate  as  usual.  A  sheet  of 
thin  paper  having  a  grain  or  tooth  is  then  laid  upon  the 
plate,  and  upon  this  the  drawing  is  executed  with  a  pencil 
(or  crayon),  like  an  ordinary  drawing.  A  hand  rest  must 
be  used,  however,  so  that  the  pencil  (or  crayon)  only 
may  touch  the  paper.  Upon  careful  removal  of  the  latter 
the  ground  is  lifted  off  with  it,  wherever  the  pencil  (or 
crayon)  has  touched  it,  in  proportion  to  the  pressure  used. 
The  plate  is  now  bitten  as  usual.  This  process  is  said  to 
have  been  invented  by  Dietrich  Meyer  (b.  1572,  d.  1658). 

160.  A  soft-ground  plate,  made  as  a  first  experiment  by  Jas.  D. 
Smilhe,  N.  A.,  with  an  impression  from  it. 

161.  The  drawing  made  on  the  plate,  No.  160. 

162.  The  pencil  used  in  making  the  drawing.  No.  161. 

163.  The  Frog  and  the  Bull.  By  Louis  Marvy  (b.  1815,  d. 
1850),  after  Decamps. 

164.  Two  Views.    By  Maxime  Lalanne. 

165.  Old  Windmills  in  Virginia.    By  James  D.  Smillie,  N.  A. 

10.  The  Sand-manner.  The  effect  produced  resem- 
bles that  of  soft-ground  etching.  An  ordinary  etching- 
ground  is  laid  on  a  metal  plate,  and  while  it  is  still  tacky 
it  is  powdered  with  sand  or  other  suitable  material,  so  that 
it  adheres  to  the  surface  without  sinking  into  the  ground, 
Upon  the  plate  thus  prepared  is  spread  the  drawing  to  be 
reproduced,  and  its  lines  are  gone  over  with  hard  styles, 
so  as  to  crush  the  particles  of  sand  through  the  ground. 
The  plate  is  then  etched.  Invented  by  J.  H.  Tischbein,  Jr., 
and  described  by  him  in  a  pamphlet  published  in  1790. 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


19 


J  An  improvement,  made  by  the  inventor  himself,  is  the 
'jjubstitution  of  powdered  crystals  of  tartaric  acid  for  the 
■  sand.    The  mordant  dissolves  this  powder,  and  the  biting 
proceeds  more  easily  and  uniformly. 

[    166-168.    Three  Heads.    By  J.  H.  Tischbein,  Jr. 

II.  Aquatinting.  This  is  also  an  etching  process, 
originally  devised  to  imitate  India  ink  or  sepia  washes, 
The  ground  used  is  not,  however,  like  ordinary  etching 
j  ground,  continuous,  but  perforated.  There  are  two  ways 
of  laying  the  ground,  the  older  or  dry-ground  method,  and 
the  later,  or  wet-ground  method.  To  lay  a  dry-ground, 
powdered  rosin,  asphaltum,  or  other  resinous  substance  is 
dusted  on  the  plate  in  a  powdering  box  (see  No.  171).  The 
plate  is  then  gently  heated  so  as  to  cause  the  grains  of 
rosin,  etc.,  to  adhere  to  it,  without  allowing  them  to  run 
together.  The  nature  of  the  grain  produced  depends  on 
the  coarseness  or  fineness  of  the  powder  used  For  the 
wet  method,  a  solution  of  rosin  in  alcohol  is  flowed  over 
the  plate,  and  allowed  to  dry  on  it.  In  drying,  the  varnish 
formed  is  broken  up  into  a  crackle,  which  varies  according 
to  the  density  of  the  solution  used.  On  a  plate  prepared  by 
either  of  these  methods,  the  mordant  can  only  act  in  the 
minute  channels  which  surround  the  particles  of  resinous 
substance,  and  the  result  is  a  network  of  depressions  which 
hold  the  ink,  the  depth  of  the  tint  produced  depending 
not  only  on  the  coarseness  or  fineness  of  the  ground,  but 
also  upon  the  time  of  exposure  to  the  mordant.  Aquatint 
can  be  used  alone,  but  it  is  generally  found  in  combination 
with  line  etching.  The  invention  of  the  process  is  ascribed 
to  Jean  Le  Prince  (b.  1734,  d.  1781),  although  it  has  been 
claimed  also  for  his  friend,  the  Abbe  de  Saint-Non. 

i6g.  A  dry-ground  plate,  "The  Windmill,"  by  H.  R.  Blaney, 
with  an  impression  from  it.    Aquatint,  combined  with  etched  lines. 

170.  An  etching  scale,  from  a  dry-ground  plate.  Three  expos- 
ures of  different  duration  on  a  fine  ground  and  a  coarse  ground. 

171.  A  powdering  box.  A  quantity  of  powdered  rosin,  etc., 
having  been  introduced,  the  box  is  rapidly  revolved.  The  coarser  par- 
ticles settle  first,  the  finer  later.  If  a  coarse  ground  is  wanted,  the  plate 
is  laid  on  the  shelf  in  the  box,  soon  after  it  has  come  to  rest;  for  a 
finer  ground,  a  later  moment  of  time  is  chosen. 


CATALOGUE. 


172.  A  wet-ground  plate,  fine  crackle,  "  Landscape,"  by  Jas 
D.  Smillie,  N.  A.,  with  an  impression  from  it. 

173.  A  wet-ground  plate,  coarse  crackle,  "  Pansies,"  by  Jas 
D.  Smillie,  N.  A.,  with  an  impression  from  it. 

174.  Virtue  in  the  Pothouse.  By  Jean  Le  Prince.  1768.  One 
fo  the  inventor's  early  attempts,  quite  primitive. 

175.  The  Fishermen.    By  Jean  Le  Prince.  1771. 

176.  Figure  Sketch.  By  Maria  Cath.  Prestel,  after  Adr.  van  der 
Venne.    1 780. 

177.  Girl  at  her  Toilet.  —  Mother  and  Child.  By  Angelica 
Kauffman.  1765. 

178.  Oliver  Cromwell.  By  Henriquel  Dupont,  after  Paul  Dela- 
roche.    Probably  the  most  important  aquatint  plate  ever  done. 

179.  Moonlight  on  the  Androscoggin.    By  John  Henry  Hill. 

180.  Old  Houses  at  Boulogne.    By  Jas.  D.  Smillie,  N.  A. 

12.  Mezzotinting  reverses  the  order  of  most  other 
kinds  of  engraving,  inasmuch  as  it  works  from  dark  into 
light.  This  is  why  the  French  call  it  la  manure  noire^ 
The  English  name  expresses  the  fact  that  it  renders  half- 
tints  in  apparently  unbroken  masses.  Before  the  artistic 
work  of  the  mezzotinter  begins,  the  plate  is  worked  all 
over  with  a  toothed  instriimen',  called  the  rocker,  by 
which  operation  its  surface  is  broken  up  into  innumerable 
minute  cavities  which  hold  the  ink.  This  is  called,  rather 
inaptly,  laying  a  mezzotint  ground.  The  coarseness  or 
fineness  of  the  ground  depends  on  the  number  of  teeth  to 
the  inch  of  the  rocker.  An  impression  from  the  plate  in 
the  state  in  which  the  rocker  leaves  it,  presents  a  uniform 
velvety  blackness.  By  careful  scraping  with  a  steel  scraper, 
gradations  from  black  to  white  can  be  produced,  the  action 
of  the  scraper  reducing  the  depth  of  the  cavities,  and  at 
the  same  time  broadening  the  ridges  between  them.  Clear 
whites  result  from  the  complete  erasure  of  the  Gravities 
and  polishing  the  smooth  places  thus  produced  on  the 
plate.  Mezzotint  is  used  pure,  or  in  connection  with 
etching,  graver  work,  stippHng,  etc.  The  process  was  in- 
vented by  Ludwig  von  Siegen,  whose  earliest  published 
plate  is  dated  1642.  Like  all  artistic  processes,  mezzo- 
tinting suffered  from  the  striving  after  mere  mechanical 
perfection.  The  desire  to  produce  a  ground  so  fine  as  to 
obliterate  all  traces  of  the  tool,  led  to  smokiness  and 
vapidity.  The  present  tendency  is,  to  return  to  more 
vigorous  methods.     (See  the  specimen  sheet.  No.  144, 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


Figs.  1^-6,  for  the  results  produced  by  rockers  of  varying 
degrees  of  fineness.) 

181.  A  mezzotinted  plate,  "  Hollyhocks,"  by  Jas.  D.  Smillie,  N.  A., 
with  an  impression  from  it.    The  lines  are  put  in  with  the  dry-point. 

182.  Mezzotinting  tools  : — ((2.)  Rockers;  (<^.)  scraper.  Of  the 
three  rockers  'shown,  the  one  in  a  handle  has  40  teeth  to  the  inch, 
the  larger  one  without  handle  has  105,  the  smaller  one  120  teeth  to 
the  inch.    The  small  rockers  are  principally  used  for  corrections,  etc. 

183.  A  set  of  progressive  proofs,  from  a  plate  in  pure  mezzo- 
tint, wSleep,"  by  Jas.  D.  Smillie,  N.  A.,  after  Walter  Shirlaw,  N.  A. 
The  first  impression  is  from  the  plate  before  any  scraping  was  done 
on  it. 

184.  Time  clipping  the  Wings  of  Love.  By  James  McArdel 
(.d.  1765),  after  Van  Dyck.    Pure  mezzotint. 

185-187.    Studies  in  pure  mezzotint.    By  J.  M.  W.  Turner. 

188.  The  Standard  Bearer.  Dated  1658.  By  Prince  Rupert. 
To  show  the  roughness  of  the  ground  in  early  work.  Almost  pure 
mezzotint,  with  some  dry-point  lines. 

189.  Frederic,  Margrave,  of  Baden.  By  T.  C.  von  P'iirstenl:)erg 
(d.  1675).  To  show  the  roughness  of  the  ground  in  early  work. 
Almost  pure  mezzotint,  with  some  dry-point  lines. 

190.  A  Flowerpiece.  Dated  1778.  By  Richard  Earlom,  after 
Jan  van  Huysum.    Mezzotint  wdth  etching. 

191.  Little  Devil's  Bridge.  PVom  Turner's  "  Liber  Studiorum." 
Etching  and  mezzotint.  The  preparatory  etching  is  shown  in  a  photo- 
lithographic facsimile,  with  an  impression  from  the  mezzotinted  plate. 

192.  Portrait  of  Wilhelm  Eichens.  Dated  1853.  By  Hermann 
Eichens.  Shown  in  two  states,  from  the  preparatory  etching,  and  from 
the  mezzotinted  plate. 

13.     I  avis.  —  Other   means  of   producing  tints. 

Lavis,  called  also  aquatint,  a  delicate  kind  of  mezzotint, 
for  which  the  ground  is  laid  with  very  fine-toothed  roulettes, 
is  said  to  have  been  invented  by  P.  F.  Charpentier,  in 
1762.  It  was  largely  used  by  the  French  engravers  for 
color-printing  in  the  i8th  century.  Many  other  means  are 
used  by  engravers  and  etchers  for  producing  tints  and 
grained  textures.  By  simply  corroding  the  plate  with  a 
mordant,  acid  tints  are  produced.  A  somewhat  similar 
effect  results  from  stoning,  that  is  to  say,  roughening  the 
surface  of  the  plate  by  rubbing  it  with  Scotch  stone  An 
irregular,  accidental  looking  grain  may  be  produced  by 
crushing  sandpaper  through  an  etching  ground  here  and 
there.  A  more  even  tint  results  if  a  sheet  of  sandpaper  is 
laid  on  the  ground  and  the  plate  is  then  pulled  through 


22 


CATALOGUE. 


the  press.  A  rough,  uneven  grain  may  also  be  producec 
by  partially  removing  the  ground  from  the  warmed  platt 
by  a  dabber.  All  these  operations  must,  of  course,  be 
followed  by  biting.  The  plate  may  also  be  roughened  so 
as  to  give  a  tint  in  printing,  by  allowing  sulphur  to  act 
upon  it  (sulphur  tints).  (See  the  specimen  sheet,  No.- 
144,  for  the  results  obtainable  by  roulettes  of  different^ 
kinds.    See  also  the  roulettes,  No.  143.)  ':■ 

193.  Four  Pastoral  Subjects.  By  J.  B.  Huet,  Sr.  1789.  Lavis 
and  etching. 

194.  Birds.  By  Chas.  A.  Walker.  The  lines  etched,  the  tint  pro- 
duced by  rouletting. 

195.  The  Building  of  Brooklyn  Bridge.  By  J.  M.  Falconer. 
Pure  roulette  work. 

196.  Twilight  in  Arizona.  By  Thos.  Moran,  N.  A.  Etching  and 
rouletting.    The  grain  in  the  rocks,  etc.,  sandpaper. 

197.  Twilight.  By  Mrs.  M.  N.  Moran.  Etching,  rouletting,  and 
stoning. 

198.  Marine.  By  M.  F.  H.  De  Haas,  N.  A.  Etching.  The  tint  in 
the  water,  sandpaper. 

199.  Mora  Players.  By  F.  Dielman,  N.  A.  The  texture  in  the 
wall,  sandpaper. 

200.  Landscape  Sketches.  By  Maxime  Lalanne.  Etching.  Mot- 
tled tint  in  lower  left-hand  corner  produced  by  removing  the  ground 
with  the  dabber. 

201.  Specimen  sheet.  Fig.  5,  sandpapering;  Fig.  8,  acid  tint; 
Fig.  9,  stoning;  Fig.  12,  rouletting,  to  produce  effect  of  mezzotinting. 
(The  other  figures  illustrate  the  result  of  biting,  etc.) 

14.  The  Ruling  Machine.  Ruling  machines,  by  which 
parallel  lines,  either  straight  or  wavy,  can  be  drawn,  gener- 
ally on  an  etching  ground,  to  be  bitten  in  afterwards,  are 
largely  used  in  modern  engraving  for  skies  and  back- 
grounds, or  to  produce  flat  or  gradated  tints.  Another 
class  of  vork  in  which  the  ruling  machine  has  a  large 
share,  is  seen  in  the  cards  used  for  menus,  calendars,  etc. 
The  effect  in  these  cards  is  produced  by  close  ruling  on 
the  machine,  and  then  etching  with  stopping  out,  or  by 
washing  with  a  brush  charged  by  acid.  If  continuous 
lines  are  needed  to  define  the  design,  they  are  etched  in 
the  usual  way. 

202.  Pifferari.  Etching  by  J.  G.  Chapman.  1852.  Sky  machine- 
ruled. 

203.  Moonrise  at  Sunset.    Engraved  by  R.  Hinshelwood,  after 


A,    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


23 


dl.  F.  H.  De  Haas,  Clear  part  of  the  sky  machine -ruled,  mainly  with 
e  ne  set  of  horizontal  lines. 

V  204.  Crossing  the  Desert.  Engraved  by  R.  Hinshelwood,  after 
I.  Duvieux.    Sky  machine-ruled  in  two  directions. 

205.  Morning  on  the  Prairie.  Engraved  by  R.  Hinshelwood, 
ifter  W.  J.  Hayes.    Sky  machine-ruled  in  three  directions. 

206.  Edward  Everett.  Engraved  by  John  Cheney,  after  R.  M. 
;taigg.  Machine-ruled  tint,  in  which  the  lights  are  picked  out,  laid 
ver  the  whole. 

207.  Menu  cards.  Published  by  J.  A.  Lowell  &  Co.  Etchings 
n  ruled  tints,  with  some  line  work. 

[5.  The  Mixed  Manner.  Combinations  of  various 
nethods  are  found  in  many  of  the  specimens  shown.  In 
nodern  engraving  this  way  of  working  is  largely  utilized, 
ind  there  are  plates  in  which  line  etching,  graver  work, 
►tippling,  rouletting,  mezzotinting,  or  sometimes  aquatint- 
,ng,  and  machine-ruling  are  all  found  together.  Such 
Dlates  are  said  to  have  been  done  in  the  mixed  manner. 

208.  Portrait  of  C.  L.  Elliot.  Engraved  by  F.  Halpin,  after 
jeo.  A.  Baker,  N.  A.  Stippling,  machine-ruling,  line  etching,  and 
graver  work. 

[6.  The  Printing  of  Intaglio  Plates.  The  printer  is 
rarely  given  the  credit  due  to  him  in  the  production  of  an 
angraved  or  etched  plate,  as  the  public  finally  sees  it.  He 
must  be,  not  only  a  skilled  mechanic,  but  a  good  part  of 
an  artist.  Without  a  skilled  printer,  an  etcher  who  is  not 
his  own  printer  could  accomplish  but  little,  and  this  holds 
good  also  of  the  engraver.  The  work  of  the  printer  is, 
however,  most  readily  seen  in  the  printing  of  etchings, 
more  especially  since  the  introduction  of  "  retroussage,*' 
an  operation  which  consists  in  playing  over  the  surface  of 
the  plate,  after  it  has  been  wiped,  with  a  soft  rag,  so  as  to 
spread  the  ink  around  and  between  the  lines.  The  two 
impressions.  No.  209,  show  the  difference  between  a  clean 
wipe  "  and  printing  "with  retroussage.''  But  the  influence 
which  a  printer  can  exercise  on  the  printing  of  an  etching 
is  still  more  markedly  illustrated  by  Nos.  210-216.  All 
these  impressions  are  from  the  same  plate,  by  the  same 
printer,  with  the  same  ink,  and  on  the  same  paper.  They 
were  printed  in  the  establishment  of  Messrs.  Kimmel  & 
Voigt,  of  New  York,  by  permission  of  the  Cassell  Pub- 
lishing Company,  from  a  plate  owned  by  it. 


24 


CATALOGUE. 


209.  Portrait  of  Murillo.    Etched  by  Rajon,  after  Murillo.  Tw< 

impressions,  differently  treated  in  printing. 

210.  Annisquam.  Original  etching  by  Stephen  Parrish.  Clear 
wiped,  showing  simply  the  lines  on  bare  paper. 

211.  The  same.  Clean  wiped,  with  retroussage,  producing  strong 
contrasts. 

212.  The  same.  Rag  wiped,  leaving  a  tint  on  the  plate.  Effect 
softness. 

213.  The  same.  Rag  wiped,  with  retroussage.  Contrast,  softened 
by  the  tint  left  on  the  plate. 

214.  The  same.  In  the  preceding  proofs  the  tint  left  on  the 
plate  is  fiat.  In  this  impression,  delicately  treated  with  the  hand,  a 
gradation  has  been  wiped  in  the  sky  and  on  the  water.  Retroussage 
has  also  been  applied. 

215.  The  same.  Treated  like  No.  214,  but  in  addition  the  high 
lights  in  the  middle  ground  have  been  wiped  clean  with  the  finger. 

216.  The  same.  Counterproof.  Produced  by  laying  a  freshly 
printed  impression  on  a  clean  sheet  of  paper,  and  pulling  the  two 
through  the  press  together. 

17.  Steelfacing  and  Electrotyping,  Before  the  intro- 
duction of  steelfacing  by  electricity,  plates  engraved  on 
soft  nmetal,  like  copper,  gave  very  few  good  impressions. 
By  the  process  named  the  face  of  the  plate  is  protected  by 
an  infinitesimal  coating  of  steel,  and,  with  care  on  the  part 
of  the  printer,  and  occasional  renewal  of  the  steelfacing, 
an  almost  unlimited  number  of  good  impressions  can  be 
printed  from  the  same  plate.  By  electricity,  moreover, 
electrotypes  can  be  made  from  intaglio  plates,  which, 
unless  special  obstacles  interfere,  differ  in  nothing  from  the 
original  plates,  and  therefore  give  equally  good  impressions. 

217.  A  Lady  of  Cairo.  By  Jas.  D.  SmiUie,  N.  A.,  after  F.  A. 
Bridgman,  N.  A.  Two  impressions,  one  from  the  original  plate,  one 
from  an  electrotype. 

18  A.  Intaglio  engraving  applied  to  color-print- 
ing :  —  Printed  at  one  printing  from  one  plate.  The  plate 
is  painted,  as  it  were,  the  different  parts  of  it  being  charged 
with  different  colors.  Most  of  the  impressions  thus  ob- 
tained are,  however,  touched  up  by  hand.  First  practiced 
in  the  17th  century.  In  the  i8th  century  prints  of  this 
kind,  from  stipple  plates,  were  quite  popular. 

218.  Views  on  the  Rhine.  Etchings,  published  by  Peter  Schenk, 
Amsterdam.    End  of  1 7th  century.    The  skies  painted. 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


nij  219.    The  Duke  of  York  resigned  by  the  Queen.    Line  en- 
graving.   1795.    I>y  J.  Fittler,  after  Opie. 

220.  Landscape.  Aquatint.  As  the  plate  is  rubbed  in  with  only 
■wo  colors,  it  shows  the  process  clearly. 

221.  Un  Minuet  a  I'Anglaise.  Aquatint  and  stipple.  1800. 
'By  P.  Roberts  and  J.  C.  Stadler,  after  Adam  Buck.    Retouched  by 

,  land. 

222.  Mile.  De  Lavaliere.  Mezzotint.  By  G.  Maile,  after  Gou- 
baud.    Retouched  by  hand. 

I  223.  Faith.  Stipple.  1776.  By  Wm.  Wynne  Ryland,  after  An- 
Igelica  Kauffman.    The  yellow  in  the  chalice  is  added  by  hand. 

224.  A  Young  Girl.  Stipple.  By  Ruotte,  after  Bartolozzi.  Re- 
[  touched  by  hand. 

*  225.  Epponina.  Stipple.  1794.  By  Chas.  Wilkin,  after  West. 
Slightly  retouched  by  hand. 

226.  Cornelia.  By  Bartolozzi,  after  Angelica  Kauffman.  1788. 
Shown  in  two  impressions  from  the  same  plate,  one  printed  in  brown, 
the  other  in  colors,  slightly  retouched  by  hand. 

18  B.  Intaglio  engraving  applied  to  color-print- 
ing: —  Printed  from  several  plates.  Printing  from  several 
intaglio  plates,  to  produce  one  picture  in  proper  colors  by 
the  combined  impressions,  was  first  practiced,  so  far  as  is 
known,  by  Jacob  Christoph  Le  Blon  (b.  1670,  d.  1741). 
Le  Blon  proceeded  on  the  idea  that  three  plates,  printed 
respectively  in  red,  yellow,  and  blue,  ought  to  produce  all 
colors  and  black.  In  practice,  however,  he  is  said  to  have 
used  a  great  many  more  plates.  Later  color-printers 
adopted  the  same  plan,  but  added  a  plate  printed  in  black 
to  those  in  color.  The  process  was  much  used  in  the  i8th 
century. 

227.  Cupids.  Crayon  manner,  printed  from  two  plates.  By 
Gilles  Demarteau,  after  Boucher. 

228.  Study.  Crayon  manner,  printed  from  three  plates.  1786. 
By  G.  A.  Demarteau. 

229.  Head  of  a  Young  Girl.  Crayon  manner,  printed  from  four 
plates.    1767.    By  Bonnet,  after  Boucher. 

230.  The  Rescued  Rooster.  Crayon  manner,  printed  from  three 
plates.    After  J.  B.  Huet.    Bonnet  direxit. 

231.  Woman  at  the  Clavichord.  Crayon  manner,  printed  from 
two  plates.    By  Ploos  van  Amstel  (b.  1726,  d.  1798),  after  G.  Dow. 

232.  Vertumnus  and  Pomona.  Crayon  manner,  printed  from 
six  plates. 

233.  Battlepiece.  Mezzotint,  printed  from  two  plates.  By  C. 
Rugendas  (b.  1708,  d.  1781),  after  G.  P.  Rugendas. 

234.  Shells.  Mezzotint,  printed  from  four  plates.  1754.  By 
Jacques  Fabien  Gautier  d'Agoty. 


26 


CATALOGUE. 


235.  Frederic  the  Great.    Mezzotint,  printed  from  four  plates. 
By  Edouard  Gautier  d'Agoty  (b.  1745,  d.  1784). 

236.  Paul  and  Virginia.  Lavis,  printed  from  four  plates.  By  I 
Chs.  M.  Descourtis  (^b.  1753),  after  Schall. 

237.  Environs  of  Rome.    Lavis,  printed  from  four  plates.  By 
Chs.  M.  Descourtis,  after  De  Machy. 

238.  Dutch  Courtyard.    Lavis,  printed  from  three  plates.  By 
Francois  Janinet  (b.  1752,  d.  181 3),  after  A.  van  Ostade. 

239.  Mademoiselle  du  T.  .  .  Lavis,  printed  from  four  plates. 
By  Franfois  Janinet,  after  Le  Moine. 

240.  Michel  Lepelletier.    Lavis,  printed  from  four  plates.  By 
P.  M.  Alix  (b.  1752,  d.  1 81 9),  after  Garnerey. 

241.  Jean  Hennuyer.    Lavis,  printed  from  four  plates.  1788. 
By  Ride,  after  Sargent. 

242.  House  of  Mrs.  Garrick.    Etching  and  lavis,  printed  from 
four  plates.    By  Laurent  Guyot  (b.  1756),  after  W.  Watts. 

243.  Ofteriy  House  and  Park.    Etching  and  lavis,  printed  from 
four  plates.    By  Laurent  Guyot,  after  W.  Watts. 

244.  Trying  on  the  New  Dress.  Dry-point  with  tints,  printed 
from  five  or  six  plates.    By  Miss  Mary  Cassatt. 

18  C.  Color-printing  from  intaglio  plates  and  re- 
lief blocks  combined. 

245.  Fridericus  Imperator.  One  etched  plate,  one  relief  block. 
1557- 

246.  From  A.  Bloemaert's  Drawing  Book.  One  etched  plate, 
one  relief  block.    By  F.  Bloemaert  (b.  about  1600). 

247.  The  Virgin  with  Saints.  One  etched  plate,  two  relief 
blocks.  By  the  Comte  de  Caylus  (b.  1692,  d.  1765)  and  N.  Le  Sueur 
(b.  1690,  d.  1764),  after  P.  de  Pietri. 

248.  The  Emperor  Henry  IV.  kneeling  before  the  Pope. 
One  etched  plate,  two  relief  blocks.  By  the  Comte  de  Caylus  and 
N.  Le  Sueur. 

249.  The  Holy  Family.    Baxter  print.    After  Murillo. 

250.  Lugano.    Baxter  print.    1836.    After  G.  Barnard. 

251.  Destruction  of  Sodom.  Baxter  print.  1836.  After  G. 
Jones. 

HL    PLANOGRAPHIC  PROCESSES. 

The  planographic  processes  depend,  as  has  been  pointed 
out  before  (see  p.  i),  on  the  chemical  and  physical  prop- 
erties of  the  materials  employed.  Those  here  to  be  con- 
sidered make  use  of  two  kinds  of  printing  surfaces  :  stone 
and  zinc.  We  have,  therefore,  lithography  {lithos,  stone) 
and  zincography.  Other  materials,  natural  and  artificial, 
have  been  tried,  but  are  not  practically  in  use.    The  chemi- 


A.    THE  OLD  PROCESSES, 


27 


cal  processes  involved  are  not,  as  yet,  fully  understood,  but 
the  following  theory  is  the  most  generally  accepted.  Lith- 
ographic stone  consists  principally  of  carbonate  of  lime. 
If  lime  and  fatty  acids  are  brought  together,  an  insoluble 
soap  is  formed.  The  drawings  to  be  reproduced  are  there- 
fore  executed  on  the  stone  with  crayon  or  ink  containing 
soap,  and  the  surface  of  the  stone  is  then  treated  with  a 
weak  solution  of  acid.  The  acid  decomposes  both  the 
carbonate  of  lime  and  the  soap,  and  the  lime  and  the  fatty 
acid  thus  set  free  combine  to  form  an  insoluble  soap.  The 
stone  is  furthermore  treated  with  a  solution  of  gum  arable. 
Its  surface  now  consists  in  the  parts  drawn  upon  of  an  in- 
soluble lime  soap,  and  in  the  parts  not  drawn  upon  of 
carbonate  of  lime  acted  upon  by  the  gum.  If  a  stone  so 
prepared  is  gone  over  with  a  wet  sponge,  the  parts  drawn 
upon  reject  the  water,  whereas  the  others  accept  it,  and 
again,  if  a  stone  so  moistened  is  rolled  up  in  printing  ink, 
only  the  parts  drawn  upon  accept  it,  whereas  the  other 
parts  reject  it.  The  result  in  zincography  is  the  same, 
but  the  chemicals  used  in  treating  the  surface  of  the  plate 
after  the  drawing  has  been  completed  are  different.  It  is 
evident  from  what  has  been  said  that  the  planographic 
processes  represent  a  new  and  very  marked  step  in  the 
progress  towards  reproductive  methods  which  reduce  the 
amount  of  human  labor.  Another  specially  noteworthy 
feature  is  their  great  versatility.  Lithography  was  in- 
vented by  Aloys  Senefelder  in  1798.  The  use  of  metals, 
including  zinc,  was  also  essayed  by  him,  but  the  practical 
introduction  of  zincography  is  of  later  date. 

252.  A  lithographic  stone,  with  a  drawing  upon  it,  and  an  im- 
pression from  it. 

253.  A  zinc  plate,  with  a  drawing  upon  it,  and  an  impression 
from  it. 

I.  Crayon  Drawing.  For  crayon  drawings  stone  is 
generally  used,  as  zinc  is  inconveniently  dark.  The  stone 
is  grained,  so  as  to  give  it  a  tooth,  and  the  drawing  is 
executed  with  crayons  of  different  degrees  of  hardness, 
according  to  the  character  of  the  work,  quite  the  same  as 
on  paper.  Much  original  w^ork  of  this  kind  has  been  done 
by  artists  of  celebrity,  especially  in  France. 


28 


CATALOGUE, 


i^iif.    Lithographic  crayons,  one  of  them  sharpened  and  in 
holder. 

255.  Medea.    Crayon  drawing,  by  Emile  Lasalle,  after  Delacro" 

2.  Pen-and-ink  and  brush  work.  Stones  as  wel 
as  zinc  are  used  for  drawing  on  them  with  the  pen,  in  lines 
or  in  stipple.  For  this  purpose  the  stones  are  polished, 
while  the  zinc  is  given  a  very  fine  grain.  The  ink  is  pre- 
pared in  solid  form,  and  for  use  is  rubbed  in  a  saucer  with 
water,  like  India  ink.  The  pens  are  drawing  pens  of  vary- 
ing degrees  of  fineness.  Brushes  are  preferred  to  pens  by 
many  lithographers. 

256.  Lithographic  ink. 

257.  Charles  V.  at  the  Taking  of  Tunis.  Pen-and-ink  drawing 
by  P.  J.  N.  Geiger. 

258.  Design  in  Commemoration  of  Schadow's  Birth.  Brush 
drawing  by  Adolf  Menzel. 

3.  Engraving.  If  a  stone  is  prepared  with  gum  and 
acid  before  any  drawing  has  been  made  on  it,  and  it  is  then 
moistened,  its  whole  surface  will  refuse  to  take  printing 
ink,  but  if  the  surface  is  scratched,  so  as  to  remove  the 
preparation,  the  scratches  will  take  the  ink.  Therefore, 
if,  on  a  stone  prepared  as  above,  a  drawing  is  cut  in  with 
gravers,  steel  points,  or  a  diamond,  it  can  be  printed  from. 
The  purpose  of  engraving  in  this  case  is  not  to  produce 
deep  lines,  but  merely  to  remove  the  preparation. 

259.  Illustration  from  Judd's  Margaret."  Engraved  by 
Konrad  Huber,  after  Darley. 

4.  Etching.  A  stone  or  a  zinc  plate  is  prepared  as  for 
engraving,  and  an  etching  ground  is  laid  on  it.  The 
design  is  drawn  through  the  ground  with  points,  and  the 
preparation  is  bitten  away  with  a  mordant  where  it  has 
been  laid  bare.  Aquatinting  can  be  done  in  the  same 
way. 

260.  The  House  in  which  Senefelder  was  born.  Etching  on 
stone. 

5.  Rub-tints,  lavis,  stumping,  etc.  Quite  a  number 
of  devices  have  been  invented  to  produce  effects  resem- 
bling mezzotinting,  washes,  etc.    If  a  grained  stone  or 


A,    THE  OLD  PROCESSES. 


29 


plate  is  rubbed  in  with  solid  lithographic  ink  of  the  proper 
consistency,  and  is  then  scraped  like  a  copper  plate  on 
which  a  mezzotint  ground  has  been  laid,  an  effect  similar 
to  mezzotint  is  produced.  These  rub-tints"  are  largely 
used  in  chromolithography.  The  stump  and  washes  laid 
on  with  a  brush  have  also  been  employed. 

261.  Christ  among  the  Doctors.  Original  lithograph,  scraped 
by  Adolf  Menzel. 

6.  Spattering.  A  brush  is  charged  with  lithographic 
ink  and  a  knife  is  drawn  across  the  bristles,  so  as  to  cause 
the  ink  to  spatter.  In  this  way  grained  tints  can  be  pro- 
duced which  may  be  localized  by  partly  covering  the  stone 
or  plate.  These  tints  are  gone  over  afterwards  with  the 
point,  to  cut  up  the  larger  spatters,  or  with  the  pen  to  fill 
up.  Similar  results  are  produced  by  the  instrument  known 
as  the  air-brush. 

262.  The  Madonna.  Spatter  lithograph  from  Senefelder's  origi- 
nal treatise  on  lithography,  German  edition. 

7.  Autography.  A  drawing  in  lithographic  ink  is  ex- 
ecuted on  paper  covered  with  a  glutinous  preparation. 
For  crayon  drawings,  the  paper  must  have  a  grain.  If  a 
drawing  on  such  paper  is  placed,  face  downward,  on  a 
clean  stone  or  zinc  plate,  then  pulled  through  the  press, 
and  the  paper  wet  from  the  back,  the  glutinous  preparation 
will  soften,  so  that  the  paper  can  be  removed,  leaving  the 
drawing  on  the  stone  or  plate  as  if  it  had  been  drawn  on  it. 

263.  Minerva.  Autographic  drawing  in  crayon  by  Jacob.  From 
Senefelder's  original  treatise  on  lithography,  French  edition. 

264.  Cat.  Autographic  drawing  on  mechanically  grained  paper,  by 
T.  Heywood. 

8.  Transferring.  Upon  the  autographic  process  is 
based  the  process  of  transferring,  which  is  tb  lithography 
and  zincography  what  electrotyping  is  to  wood-engraving. 
From  a  drawing  made  on  stone  or  zinc  an  impression  is 
taken  on  a  piece  of  prepared  paper  (transfer  paper),  in  a 
fatty  ink  (transfer  ink),  and  this  is  transferred  to  another 
stone  or  zinc  plate,  as  described  under  Autography.'' 
There  is,  of  course,  no  limit  to  the  number  of  transfers 


30 


CATALOGUE. 


that  can  be  made,  and  therefore  the  number  of  impressions 
to  be  gotten  from  a  single  lithographic  drawing  is  practi- 
cally unlimited.  The  best  transfers,  however,  result  from 
firm,  well-defined  work,  whereas  those  from  fine  crayon 
drawings  are  unsatisfactory.  Impressions  from  wood-cuts, 
line-engravings,  etc.,  can  also  be  transferred,  and  can  thus 
be  transformed  into  lithographs, 

265.  Original  drawing  on  zinc. 

266.  An  impression  on  transfer  paper,  ready  for  transferring. 

267.  A  zinc  plate  with  the  transfer  from  No.  265. 

268.  The  transfer  sheet,  after  the  transfer  has  been  made. 

269.  Impressions  from  original  and  transfer. 

9.  Presses  and  Printing.  The  hand-presses  on  which 
wood-engravings  are  printed  are  platten  presses,  that  is  to 
say,  the  pressure  on  the  block  is  exercised  by  a  flat  platten 
(see  No.  34).  The  hand-presses  for  intaglio  plates  are 
roller  presses,  so  called  because  the  plate  to  be  printed 
passes  between  rollers  (see  No.  76).  The  lithographic 
hand-presses  are  scaper  presses,  the  pressure  on  the  stone 
or  plate  being  exercised  by  a  flat  piece  of  wood  which  is 
stadonary,  while  the  stone  passes  under  it.  In  planogra- 
phic  steampresses  the  pressure  is  produced  by  cylinders, 
as  in  the  steampresses  used  for  printing  type  or  relief 
blocks ;  but  in  addition  to  the  inking  .apparatus,  they  are 
provided  with  a  moistening  apparatus,  as  the  stone  or  plate 
must  be  kept  moist  to  prevent  the  ink  from  taking  on  the 
parts  not  drawn  upon.  At  the  hand-press,  the  moistening 
is  attended  to  by  the  printer. 

270.  A  Lithographers'  Shop.  A  hand-press,  with  a  printer  at 
work,  is  seen  to  the  right.  A  slight  indication  of  a  steampress  is  given 
in  the  background.  The  man  to  the  left  is  graining  stones,  by  rubbing 
two  of  them  together,  with  sand  between  them.  To  the  right  of  him  is 
a  lithographic  draftsman,  drawing  on  a  stone.  In  the  right  foreground 
stands  an  "  etching  trough,"  with  a  stone  upon  it  ready  to  be  "  etched," 
that  is  to  say,  treated  with  acid  and  gum.  The  vessel  near  it  contains 
the  mixture  to  be  used,  and  on  it  lies  the  "  etching  brush  "  with  which 
it  is  spread  over  the  stone. 

10.  The  planographic  processes  applied  to  color- 
printing.  Of  all  the  many  reproductive  processes,  none 
have  proved  so  serviceable  for  color-printing  as  lithography 


B.    SUBSTITUTE  PROCESSES. 


31 


and  zincography.  This  is  due  to  comparative  cheapness 
and  rapidity,  to  the  advantages  offered  by  transferring, 
and  to  the  versatility  of  these  processes,  which  can  inter- 
mingle flat  tints,  gradated  tints,  lines,  and  dots,  if  need  be, 
on  the  same  stone  or  plate.  Without  them,  therefore, 
the  vast  development  of  color-printing,  which  has  done 
so  much  to  increase  educational  facilities  and  artistic  en- 
joyment among  the  people  at  large,  would  have  been  quite 
impossible.  The  earliest  chromo-lithographers  proceeded 
on  the  three-color  theory,  according  to  which  a  completely 
colored  picture  ought  to  result  from  printings  in  red,  yel- 
low, and  blue  superimposed.  But  for  elaborate  work  from 
ten  to  fifty  printings  are  used. 

271.  Study  by  Raphael.  Two  printings,  black  and  one  tint.  By 
J.  Pilizotti. 

272.  The  three-color  theory,  exemplified  by  a  lithograph  printed 
in  yellow,  red,  and  blue,  with  a  black  stone  for  the  drawing. 

273.  Christmas  Cards,  executed  in  pen-and-ink;  13  to  19  print- 
ings. —  Published  by  L.  Prang  &  Co. 

274.  Imitations  of  Water-colors,  executed  in  crayon,  rub-tints, 
etC; :  —  (rt;.)  "  Morning  in  Venice,"  after  Ross  Turner;  13  printings.  — 
{b^  "A  Misty  Morning,"  after  L.  K.  Harlow;  16  printings.  —  (<:.) 
"Oasis  of  Filiach,  Algiers,"  after  R.  Swain  Gifford;  24  printings. — 
Published  by  L.  Prang  &  Co. 

275.  Imitation  of  an  oil  painting,  executed  in  crayon,  rub-tints, 
etc. :  —  "  Madonna  and  Child,"  after  Cignani;  25  printings.  —  Published 
by  L.  Prang  &  Co. 


B.    SUBSTITUTE  PROCESSES. 

The  tendency  to  reduce  the  manual  labor  of  engraving, 
which  was  apparent  already  in  some  of  the  older  pro- 
cesses (etching  and  lithography),  is  carried  as  far  as  it  is 
possible  without  the  aid  of  photography  in  the  processes 
grouped  together  in  this  division.  They  differ  from  the 
older  processes,  moreover,  in  this,  that  they  are,  with 
isolated  exceptions,  the  outcome  of  the  industrial  rather 
than  of  the  artistic  development  of  modern  times.  It  is 
not  their  purpose  to  supply  the  artist  with  new  means  of 
expressing  his  individuality.    They  strive  to  imitate  some- 


32 


CATALOGUE. 


thing  more  costly  in  a  way  capable  of  rapid  and  extensive 
utilization  in  large  industrial  establishments.  Cheapness 
is  with  them  the  first  consideration,  with  as  much  artis- 
tic perfection  as  this  limitation  will  allow.  The  first  es- 
says of  note  in  this  direction  were  made  about  the  begin- 
ning of  the  19th  century,  and  the  growth  of  the  substitute 
processes  kept  pace  with  the  growth  of  industrialism,  until 
most  of  them  were  superseded  by  the  photo-mechanical 
processes.  With  these  latter  they  have  one  feature  in 
common, — the  hideousness  of  their  nomenclature.  The 
older  processes  had,  indeed,  been  saddled  already  with 
high-sounding  names,  such  as  chalcography,  xylography, 
siderography,  etc  ,  but  the  evil  increased  with  the  striving 
of  every  inventor  or  improver  to  advertise  himself  by 
attaching  his  name  to  his  products,  or,  still  worse,  to  im- 
press upon  the  public  the  importance  of  his  invention  or 
improvement  by  barbaric  agglomerations  of  Greek  or  Latin 
words,  to  designate  something  which  Greeks  or  Romans 
never  could  have  thought  of.  The  matter  is  not  mended 
by  the  fact  that  sometimes  the  same  name  has  been  applied 
to  processes  totally  different  from  one  another.  The 
specimens  here  shown  do  not  represent  all  the  processes 
of  this  kind  known,  but  the  grouping  adopted  for  those 
illustrated  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  various  methods 
adopted  to  reach  the  desired  end.  The  most  regrettable 
lack  is  that  of  specimens  of  the  methods  based  upon  the 
use  of  mercury,  such  as  those  practiced  by  Dulos  in  the 
first  half  of  the  century. 

I.  Relief-etching.  A.  The  simplest  method  of 
producing  blocks  printable  in  the  type-press  without  en- 
graving by  hand  is  to  etch  the  lines  and  dots  composing 
the  design  into  relief.  Senefelder  tried  to  practice  relief- 
etching  before  he  discovered  lithography,  and  Blake  pro- 
duced his  Prophetic  Books,"  etc.,  by  the  same  process. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  it  is  the  older  etching 
process  reversed.  In  this  the  lines  are  bitten  into  the 
plate,  in  relief-etching  the  metal  around  them  is  bitten 
away.  In  the  older  processes  of  the  kind  under  consid- 
eration the  design  was  drawn  on  the  plate  with  an  ink 
capable  of  resisting  acid,  in  the  later  it  is  drawn  on  paper 


B.    SUBSTITUTE  PROCESSES. 


33 


and  then  transferred,  as  in  autography.  Gillot,  of  Paris, 
who  took  out  a  patent  in  1850,  was  the  first  commercially 
successful  operator,  as  he  overcame  the  difficulties  of 
etching  more  skilfully  than  his  predecessors,  laying,  in 
fact,  the  foundation  for  the  methods  of  etching  at  present 
practiced  in  the  photo-mechanical  processes  (see  p.  54). 
He  called  his  process  paniconography  {pan.,  all,  eiko7i, 
image,  graphem^  to  grave),  but  it  is  more  generally  known 
as  giliotage.  Various  other  names  have  been  invented  for 
relief-etching,  the  best  of  them  being  typographic  etching,  as 
the  blocks  produced  are  really  etchings  destined  to  be 
printed  in  the  type  press. 

276.  Drawn  on  the  plate.  Dembours  of  Metz,  1835.  "  Ectypo- 
graphie  metallique  "  {ektypos,  worked  in  relief).    Two  specimens. 

277.  Pen  drawing  on  paper,  transferred  to  the  plate.  Leitch. 

278.  Crayon  in  relief.    Drawn  on  a  grained  zinc  plate.    C.  Stahl. 

279.  Aquatint  in  relief.    Shirley  Ilodson. 

2.  Relief-etching.  B.  In  this  class  are  grouped  to- 
gether a  number  of  processes  which  involve  etching,  but 
are  more  complicated  than  those  under  A.  In  some  of 
these  methods  the  parts  not  to  be  attacked  by  the  mordant 
are  gilt  {chrysoglyphy,  chrysos,  gold,  glyphein,  to  hollow 
out).  For  chemitypi?ig  an  intaglio  etching  is  executed  on  a 
metal  plate  in  the  usual  way,  and  the  bitten  lines  are  filled 
with  an  easily  fusible  alloy.  The  plate  is  then  etched  a 
second  time,  with  a  mordant  which  attacks  it,  but  does  not 
attack  the  alloy,  and  therefore  leaves  the  lines  standing 
in  relief.  In  the  Comte  Process,  a  zinc  plate  is  covered  with 
a  ground  of  gum  arabic,  mixed  with  zinc  w^hite  and  a  yellow 
color  (jaune  d'Avignon).  The  design  is  executed  with 
quill  pens  or  ivory  points,  used  like  etching  points,  so  that 
they  lay  bare  the  copper.  The  whole  plate  is  now  rolled 
up  with  ink,  capable  of  resisting  acid,  and  placed  in  a  dish 
of  water.  The  water  dissolves  the  ground  left  on  the 
plate,  and  the  ink  upon  it  floats  off  with  it,  while  it 
remains  on  those  parts  which  were  bared ^  In  a  number 
of  processes  which  may  be  included  in  this  class,  galvanic 
action  is  used  instead  of  a  mordant. 

280.  Chemityping.    Two  specimens. 

281.  Comte  process.    Drawn  by  Karl  Bodmer. 


I 

CATALOGUE. 


3.  Wax  Processes.  A  metal  plate  is  covered  with  a 
wax  ground,  and  the  design  is  cut  into  it  with  suitable 
instruments,  down  to  the  plate,  but  without  wounding  it. 
The  wax  ground  may  be  so  prepared  that  the  design  can 
be  photographed  on  it.  The  spaces  between  the  lines  are 
built  up  where  necessary,  generally  with  wax,  —  a  very 
delicate  operation  requiring  great  skill,  —  and  an  electro- 
type is  made,  which  can  be  printed  from  in  the  type  press. 
Very  good  work  has  been  done  by  these  processes,  and 
they  are  still  largely  used,  more  especially  for  maps,  dia- 
grams, machine  drawings,  etc. 

282.  Palmer's  Glyphography  {glyphein^  to  hollow  out).  Lon- 
don, about  1844.    Two  specimens. 

283.  Xerography  {Keros,  wax.)  London,  186 1.  Invented  by 
Charles  Hancock.  Two  specimens.  The  same  name  has  been  applied 
also  to  other  processes. 

284.  Dawson's  "  Typographic  Etching."  Two  specimens.  A 
most  unfortunate  name,  as  no  etching  is  involved. 

285.  Chandler  &  Jewett's  process.    Two  specimens. 

4.  Clay  Surface  Processes  ("  Kaolatype,"  from  kao- 
line,  China  clay).  A  metal  plate  is  coated  with  a  compo- 
sition of  pipe  clay,  etc.,  and  in  this  mass  the  drawing  is  cut 
with  hook-shaped  tools,  down  to  the  surface  of  the  plate. 
A  stereotype  (metal  cast)  furnishes  the  printing  block,  to 
be  used  in  the  type  press.  The  rapidity  of  these  processes 
makes  them  useful  for  quick  newspaper  work  of  small 
dimensions. 

286.  A  plate  (Schraubstadter  Star  Engraving  Plate),  with  a  draw- 
ing cut  into  the  coating. 

287.  Cutting  tools  used  by  kaolatypers. 

288.  Impressions  from  blocks  cast  from  drawings  on  Star  Engrav- 
ing Plates. 

5.  Graphotype.  According  to  Knight's  Encyclopaedia, 
a  zinc  plate  is  covered  with  a  thick  coating  of  oxide  of 
zinc.  Upon  this  the  drawing  is  executed  with  an  ink  con- 
sisting of  a  chloride  of  zinc  and  a  menstruum.  Where  the 
ink  comes  in  contact  with  the  coating,  the  latter  is  hardened 
by  the  formation  of  oxychloride  of  zinc.  The  rest  of  the 
coating,  between  the  lines,  is  removed  by  brushing  and 
rubbing.  In  one  form  of  the  process,  the  adhering  material 
is  solidified  by  immersion  in  a  solution  of  silicate  of  soda. 


B,   SUBSTITUTE  PROCESSES. 


3S 


The  printing  block  is  obtained  by  electrotyping.  Invented 
by  D.  C.  Hitchcock. 

289.  Graphotype.    One  specimen. 

6.  Galvanography,  invented  by  Franz  von  Kobell, 
1839.  design  is  painted  upon  a  metal  plate,  with 
colors  which  dry  with  a  lustreless  or  granular  surface,  and 
are  laid  on  thinly  in  the  lights,  and  more  thickly  as  the 
shadows  increase  in  depth.  Pen-and-ink  and  crayon  draw- 
ings can  be  made  in  a  similar  way.  Electrotyping  furnishes 
an  intaglio  plate,  which  can  be  printed  in  the  roller  press. 

290.  Two  specimens.    By  Franz  von  Kobell. 

7.  Blocks  of  Soft  Mass.  In  the  wax  and  clay  surface 
processes  an  easily  worked  mass  is  spread  upon  a  support 
of  metal,  to  which  the  cutting  tool  must  descend.  They 
are  used  only  for  the  production  of  relief  blocks.  For  the 
production  of  intaglio  plates  with  a  minimum  of  labor,  and 
offering  at  the  same  time  the  desired  facility  of  cutting 
lines  of  varying  depth,  another  process  has  been  invented 
to  which  has  been  given  the  name  of  stylography  (stylos,  a 
style).  The  same  name  has,  however,  been  applied  also  to 
other  processes.  The  blocks  used  are  of  a  softish  black 
composition,  whitened  on  the  surface,  and  the  work  is  done 
with  points  and  other  tools  specially  devised  for  the  pur- 
poser  Electrotyping  furnishes  the  plate.  Although  spe- 
cially suitable  for  intaglio  engraving,  this  process  can  be 
used  also  for  the  production  of  relief  blocks. 

291.  Stylography.    One  specimen. 

8.  Stenochromy.    The  blocks  used  in  the  stenochromic 

processes  {stems,  narrow,  close,  chroma,  color),  may  also 
be  said  to  consist  of  a  softish  mass,  but  their  purpose  is 
the  printing  of  many  colors  at  one  impression.  The  print- 
ing block  is  a  mosaic  of  masses  of  dry,  or  nearly  dry,  oil- 
colors,  cut  to  the  shape  of  the  spot  of  color  which  they  are 
to  reproduce,  and  fitted  closely  together.  This  block, 
whenever  an  impression  is  to  be  taken,  is  moistened  with 
a  fluid  which  softens  the  colors,  so  that  a  bibulous  sheet 
pressed  against  it  can  absorb  them.    As  only  flat  tints  can 


36 


CATALOGUE. 


be  produced  in  this  way,  the  picture  is  finished  by  impres- 
sions from  one  or  two  lithographic  stones.  Senefelder 
invented  a  similar  process  (mosaic  printing),  and  J.  Liep- 
mann  practiced  and  described  another  in  the  year  1842. 

292.  Stenochromic  print.    Unfinished.   By  Radde,  of  Hamburg. 

293.  Stenochromic  print.    Finished.   By  Radde,  of  Hamburg. 

9.  Machine-engraving.  Machines  are  largely  used 
in  modern  engraving,  but  only  as  auxiliaries,  for  ruling 
straight  or  wavy  lines  (see  Nos.  202-207).  In  machine 
engraving  properly  speaking,  the  machine  does  all  the 
work.  There  are  various  kinds  of  these  machines  :  — guil- 
loche  machi?tes  (supposed  to  have  been  invented  by  one 
Guillot)  or  lathes,  which  produce  ornamental  designs  con- 
sisting of  interlacing  lines,  circles,  etc.,  such  as  are  used 
on  bank  notes  ;  medal-ruling  machines^  in  which  a  point  is 
made  to  travel  over  the  medal  or  other  low  relief  of  which 
an  engraving  is  wanted,  while  by  an  ingenious  arrange- 
ment a  second  point,  governed  by  the  movements  of  the 
first,  traces  a  series  of  lines,  nearer  together  or  farther 
apart,  according  to  the  variations  of  height  in  the  original, 
upon  a  metal  plate  or  a  lithographic  stone ;  and  universal 
machines^  which  do  all  kinds  of  work.  Most  of  these 
machines  are  so  constructed  besides  that  the  design  can 
be  reduced  or  enlarged,  or  reversed.  The  first  medal- 
ruling  machine  was  built  about  1830,  by  Achille  Collas  of 
Paris.  A  similar  machine  was  constructed  somewhat  later 
in  the  U.  S.  by  Joseph  Saxton.  All  the  machines  so  far 
named  are  for  intaglio  engrav^ing.  The  Shanks  machine, 
on  the  contrary,  produces  relief  blocks  of  a  simple  kind. 
The  engraving  is  done  by  cutting  the  lines  into  a  slab  of 
plaster  of  Paris,  thus  producing  a  matrix  from  which 
electrotypes  can  be  made.. 

294.  Universal  engraving  machine,  built  by  Ferd.  Lotz,  of 
Offenbach. 

295.  Medal-ruling  on  metal.    Done  on  a  Collas  machine. 

296.  Medal-ruling  on  metal.    The  portrait  only  is  ruled. 

297.  Medal-ruling  on  stone,  with  reductions  and  enlargements, 
done  on  Lotz's  universal  machine. 

298.  Relief  machine-engraving,  done  on  Shanks's  machine. 


B.    SUBSTITUTE  PROCESSES. 


37 


10.  Nature-Printing.  In  the  processes  so  far  described, 
the  activity  of  the  designer  or  of  the  engraver,  or  of  both, 
is  still  a  factor  of  importance.  In  those  here  to  be  con- 
sidered the  designer  and  the  engraver  are  entirely  elim- 
inated, and  the  forces  of  nature  are  compelled  to  do  all 
the  work,  although  still  without  the  aid  of  photography. 
In  their  application,  however,  these  processes  nre  quite 
limited,  and  their  aims  are  scientific  and  not  artistic.  Ac- 
cording to  the  objects  to  be  represented,  they  may  be 
divided  into  two  classes:  —  mineralography  and  mineralo- 
typ}\  and  fiature-printing  more  especially  so  called.  The 
representations  of  the  texture  of  minerals,  etc.,  included 
in  the  first  division,  are  obtained  by  cutting  the  specimen 
in  question  to  a  plane  surface,  polishing  it,  and  treating  it 
with  an  acid,  which  attacks  certain  parts,  but  does  not 
affect  others.  Electrotypes  can  be  taken  from  the  surfaces 
so  prepared.  If  these  are  printed  like  intaglio  plates,  the 
impressions  are  called  mineralographs,  if  like  relit^f  blocks, 
mineralotypes.    In  the  process  more  particularly  known  as 

nature-printing,"  leaves,  plants,  etc.,  are  pressed  into 
soft  metal,  more  fragile  objects  into  a  gutta-percha  com- 
position, and  the  impressions  thus  obtained  are  repro- 
duced by  electrotyping.  If  such  electrotypes  are  inked  in 
the  impressed  lines,  the  results  resemble  those  obtained 
from  intaglio  plates,  if  they  are  inked  on  the  surface,  like  a 
relief  block,  the  designs  show  white  on  a  colored  ground. 

299.  Mineralographic  impression.    From  an  etched  mineral. 

300.  Mineralographic  impression.    From  an  etched  petrifaction. 

301.  Mineralotypic  impression.    From  an  etched  mineral. 

302.  Nature-printing.    A  leaf.    Intaglio  printing. 

303.  Nature-printing.  A  plant.  Intaglio  printing  in  colors,  pro- 
duced at  one  impression,  the  plate  charged  with  three  colors. 

304.  Nature-printing.  Laces.  The  plate  inked  on  the  surface 
and  printed  in  the  type  press. 

11.  Gelatine  Processes.  Since  the  properties  of  gel- 
atine have  been  investigated  in  connection  with  the  photo- 
mechanical processes,  a  number  of  methods  have  been 
devised  for  using  gelatinous  masses  as  printing  surfaces 
without  the  intervention  of  photography.  Several  of  these 
are  described  by  Poitevin.  A  well-known  device  of  this 
kind  is  the  hectograph  (hekatbn^  hundred,  graphein,  to  write, 


33 


CATALOGUE. 


in  allusion  to  the  supposition  that  about  one  hundred  copies 
can  be  printed  by  this  contrivance),  a  gelatinous  mass  in 
a  tin  tray,  to  which  letters  or  designs  in  writing  ink  are 
transferred  from  a  sheet  of  paper.  From  the  transfer  thus 
obtained  a  number  of  impressions  can  be  made  on  sheets 
of  paper  rubbed  against  it,  and  the  transfer  can  then  be 
washed  off,  leaving  the  gelatine  in  condition  to  receive 
new  transfers.  A  process  based  on  similar  principles,  for 
the  reproduction  of  drawings  in  several  colors  at  one  im- 
pression, has  recently  been  patented.  The  direct  transfer 
process^  by  which  transfers  to  stone  can  be  obtained  from 
designs  in  writing  ink  on  paper,  which  have  previously 
been  transferred  to  prepared  gelatine,  also  belongs  to  this 
category. 

305.  Gelatine  print.  From  a  drawing  by  H.  Farny,  executed  in 
writing  ink  on  paper,  transferred  to  gelatine,  and  then  printed  from  the 
gelatine. 

306.  Direct  transfer  process  print,  printed  from  stone. 

12.  Closson's  Process.  The  latest  of  the  processes 
properly  belonging  to  this  division  is  the  one  invented 
by  the  well-known  wood-engraver  and  painter,  Mr.  VVm. 
B.  Closson.  As  Mr.  Closson  has  not  yet  made  public  the 
details  of  his  invention,  no  description  can  be  given  here. 
The  specimens  exhibited  show  that  it  is  capable  of  excel- 
lent results  in  the  hands  of  an  artist,  both  for  intaglio  and 
for  relief  printing. 

307.  Hawthorne's  Boathouse.    Relief  printing. 

308.  The  Pines.    Intaglio  printing. 

309.  Portrait  of  an  Old  Woman.  After  Rembrandt.  Intaglio 
printing. 


C.    PHOTOGRAPHIC  PROCESSES. 

The  photographic  processes  (^phos,  photos^  ligl^t,  graphein, 
to  write,  to  grave)  either  depend  entirely  on  the  action  of 
light  for  the  making  of  the  pictures  which  result  from 
them,  as  well  as  for  their  reproduction,  or  they  reproduce 
and  multiply  already  existing  pictures  by  the  same  means. 
Under  certain  conditions  the  colors  of  most  substances  are 


C.    PHOTOGRAPHIC  PROCESSES. 


39 


affected  by  light,  which  either  darkens  or  bleaches  them, 
thus  showing  that  the  substances  themselves  have  under- 
gone a  change  in  their  chemical  constitution.  If  these 
changes  can  be  localized  and  controlled  at  will,  they  offer 
a  means  of  delineation,  and  this  is  what  photography 
does.  In  a  photographic  picture,  the  lights  and  shades 
are  due  to  the  varying  intensity  of  the  light  which  has 
acted  on  a  surface  covered  or  impregnated  with  a  sub- 
stance sensitive  to  its  influence,  the  action  of  the  light 
having  been  stopped  at  the  right  moment,  and  the  condi- 
tion of  the  sensitized  surface  so  changed  that  it  has  become 
indifferent  to  further  action  of  the  same  kind.  This  done, 
the  next  desideratum,  is  to  multiply  the  picture  obtained. 

Photography,  offers,  therefore,  three  principal  problems  : 
—  (i.)  To  prepare  a  surface  which  shall  be  so  delicately 
sensitive  to  the  influence  of  light  that  an  immeasurably 
short  exposure  will  suffice  to  impress  it ;  (2.)  To  make 
the  resulting  pictures  permanent,  at  least  in  so  far  that 
the  action  of  light  shall  have  no  further  influence  upon 
them  ;  (3.)  To  devise  means  of  multiplying  the  photo- 
graphic picture  without  the  necessity  of  repeated  exposure 
before  the  object  photographed. 

That  the  first  problem  has  been  solved  is  shown  by  the 
achievements  of  instantaneous  photography. 

The  demand  for  permanency  not  being  wholly  satisfied 
by  the  salts  of  silver  still  almost  universally  used  in  pho- 
tography, the  attempt  has  been  made  to  substitute  other 
metals,  such  as  iron,  gold,  uranium,  and  platinum  for 
silver,  and  of  these  platinum  more  especially  is  growing 
in  favor  on  account  of  its  beauty  and  permanency.  Abso- 
lute permanency  —  so  far  as  anything  finite  can  be  called 
permanent — is  offered  by  enamel  photography,  which 
converts  the  images  obtained  in  the  camera  into  pictures 
on  enamel,  or  on  porcelain  and  glass,  fired  in  the  kiln, 
and  therefore  quite  as  indestructible  as  painted  enamels. 
The  bulkiness  of  these  photographs,  however,  restricts  their 
use  to  medallion  portraits  and  the  like.  A  solution  capa- 
ble of  wider  application  is  offered  by  pigment-printing 
(carbon-printing),  which  produces  pictures  on  paper  or 
any  other  material,  consisting  of  finely  divided  carbon  or 
other  inert  coloring  matter,  fixed  to  the  substratum  used 


40 


CATALOGUE. 


by  gelatine  made  insoluble  by  the  action  of  light.  A 
similar  result  is  reached,  although  less  satisfactorily,  by 
the  dusting  or  powdering  processes,  which  proceed  by 
rendering  a  sensitive  surface  tacky  in  parts,  so  that  it  will 
accept  and  hold  powdered  carbon,  etc.,  in  quantities  pro- 
portionate to  the  action  of  the  light  upon  it. 

The  possibility,  finally,  of  reproducing  photographic 
pictures  without  a  re-exposure  before  the  object  photo- 
graphed, is  given  by  the  negative  processes.  It  was  one 
of  the  inconveniences  of  the  daguerreotype,  as  it  is  of  the 
ambrotype  and  the  ferrotype,  that  each  picture  required  a 
separate  exposure,  whereas  by  the  use  of  a  negative  an 
almost  unlimited  number  of  positive  copies  can  be  made 
by  sun-printing  or  printing  by  artificial  light. 

A  fourth  problem  must  be  mentioned  here  with  which 
science  has  already  dealt  with  some  measure  of  success, 
the  problem  namely  of  translating  the  colors  of  nature  or 
of  art  into  monochrome  in  accordance  with  their  true  values. 
The  older  photographic  processes  are  very  unsatisfactory 
in  this  respect,  nearly  all  shades  and  hues  of  blue  being 
rendered  too  light,  and  the  reds,  yellows,  and  greens  too 
dark  by  them.  This  defect  has  been  largely  done  away 
with  by  orthochromalic  photography  {prthos^  right,  chroma^ 
color,  called  also  isochromatic  photography,  from  isos^ 
equal). 

The  attempts  to  produce  many-colored  pictures  corre- 
sponding in  all  their  hues  to  the  colors  of  nature,  paintings, 
etc.,  by  direct  exposure  of  a  single  sensitive  surface,  have 
so  far  given  results  which  are  interesting  scientifically  only. 
They  point  to  the  highest  achievement  which  photography 
can  strive  to  attain.  In  a  more  indirect  way  the  problem 
has  been  attacked  by  what  has  been  called  composite 
heliochromy  {helios^  the  sun,  chroma^  color),  based  either 
upon  the  old  theory  that  all  colors  are  produced  by  red, 
yellow,  and  blue  rays,  either  pure  or  mixed  in  different  pro- 
portions, or  on  the  more  correct  modern  theory  that  there 
are  three  fundamental  color-sensations  which  correspond 
to  red,  green,  and  bluish  violet.  Some  of  the  results  of 
these  experiments  are  included  in  the  present  division,  as 
well  as  in  division  D  of  this  exhibition. 

The  specimens  shown  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  various 


C.    PHOTOGRAPHIC  PROCESSES, 


41 


methods  and  achievements  of  photography,  and  of  the 
principal  steps  in  its  history.  No  attempt  can  be  made, 
however,  to  enter  into  the  theory  of  photography  in  this 
catalogue. 

Ignoring  isolated  experiments  without  definite  aim  made 
by  earlier  investigators,  it  may  be  said  that  photography 
proper,  that  is  to  say,  for  the  purpose  of  pictorial  repre- 
sentation, began  with  the  experiments  on  nitrate  of  silver 
published  by  Wedgwood  and  Davy  in  1802.  In  the  year 
18 13  Joseph  Nicephore  Niepce  began  his  researches  on 
the  sensitiveness  of  resinous  substances,  which  led  to  the 
production  of  the  first  intaglio  plates  by  the  aid  of  light. 
In  18 19  Sir  J.  Herschel  discovered  the  property  of  sodium 
hyposulphite  to  dissolve  the  silver  chloride,  which  made  it 
possible  to  fix  the  hitherto  fugitive  silver  images.  The 
year  1839  of  great  importance  in  the  history  of  pho- 
tography, as  Mungo  Ponton  then  published  his  experiments 
with  paper  sensitized  by  bichromate  of  potash,  and  Arago 
reported  to  the  French  Academy  on  Daguerre's  process. 
In  1841  Talbot  patented  his  "  calotype  process"  {kalos, 
beautiful),  which  introduced  the  use  of  paper  negatives 
made  in  the  camera,  and  on  which  he  had  worked  since 
about  1834.  The  first  negatives  on  glass  coated  with 
albumen  were  made  by  Niepce  de  St.  Victor  in  1847. 
wet  collodion  process,  suggested  by  Le  Gray,  was  practi- 
cally introduced  by  F.  S.  Archer  in  185 1.  The  latest  great 
achievements  in  photography  are  the  introduction  of  gela- 
tine dry  plates  for  negatives  and  of  gelatine-bromide  paper 
for  printing. 

I.   Natural  objects,  etc.,  used  as  printing  screens. 

The  first  experiments  in  photography  were  made  by  expos- 
ing sensitized  paper  to  sunlight  under  |)aintings  on  glass, 
leaves,  the  wings  of  insects,  etc.  The  result  was  a 
negative,  which  in  its  turn  could  be  placed  on  a  sensitized 
sheet,  to  produce  a  positive.  These  earliest  photographs 
were  made  with  nitrate  of  silver,  but  they  were  fugitive,  as 
the  art  of  fixing  them  had  not  yet  been  discovered.  The 
silver  prints  here  shown  are  modern,  made  with  silver 
chloride  and  fixed  with  sodium  hyposulphite.  The  bichro- 
mate prints,  also  made  by  exposure  under  leaves  and  en- 


42 


CATALOGUE. 


gravings,  are  believed  to  date  back  to  the  year  of  Mungo 
Ponton's  publication. 

310.  Five  bichromate  prints.  By  Prof.  C.  Enslen.  Said  to 
have  been  made  in  1839. 

311.  Seven  prints  from  natural  objects,  on  silver  chloride  paper, 
negatives  and  positives.    By  Thomas  Gaffield. 

2.  Daguerreotypes.  Executed  on  silvered  copper 
plates  sensitized  with  iodine,  etc.,  developed  with  mer- 
cury, fixed  with  sodium  hyposulphite,  and  toned  with  gold 
chloride. 

312.  Two  portraits,  made  in  New  Bedford  about  1842. 

313.  One  of  the  first  operations  performed  under  ether.  By 

Hawes,  of  Boston.  1846.  The  room  shown  is  the  old  amphitheatre  of 
the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  which  was  beneath  the  dome  of  the 
building.  The  attending  physicians  are  Dr.  John  C,  Warren,  Dr.  J. 
Mason  Warren,  Dr.  Samuel  Parkman,  and  Dr.  Townsend. 

314.  Five  portraits  and  a  View  of  a  church  in  Savannah, 
made  in  various  parts  of  the  United  States  up  to  about  1852.  The 
coloring  seen  in  some  of  these  daguerreotypes  is  added  by  hand. 

3.  Negatives.  Negatives  are  printing  screens  in  which 
the  relations  of  light  and  shade  are  reversed.  If  a  piece 
of  sensitized  paper  is  exposed  to  the  light  under  such  a 
negative,  the  result  is  a  positive  picture,  in  which  the 
relations  of  light  and  shade  are  correct. 

315.  Paper  negative,  made  from  a  print  by  direct  contact,  i,  e., 
without  the  aid  of  the  camera.  The  original  print  and  a  positive  from 
the  negative  are  also  shown.    By  Thomas  Gafheld. 

316.  Paper  negative,  made  in  the  camera,  according  to  Talbot's 
calotype  process,  by  Langenheim,  in  New  York,  about  1849,  with  a 
(recent)  silver  print  on  plain  paper  from  it. 

317.  Waxed  paper  negative,  made  in  the  camera,  according  to 
Le  Gray's  process,  by  Gen.  Joseph  Rowland,  at  Nice,  in  1857,  with  a 
(recent)  silver  print  from  it. 

318.  Glass  negative,  wet  collodion  process,  made  in  the 
camera,  with  a  silver  print  from  it,  by  H.  G.  Smith,  Boston. 

319.  Glass  negative,  dry  plate  process,  made  in  the  camera, 
with  a  silver  print  from  it,  by  the  Notman  Photographic  Co.,  Boston. 
The  face  is  stained  red  in  the  negative  to  cause  it  to  print  lighter. 

320.  Stripped  negative  on  collodion  film,  made  in  the  camera, 
with  a  silver  print  from  it,  by  T.  W.  Smillie,  Washington. 

321.  Celluloid  film  negative,  made  in  the  camera,  by  Miss  Fran- 
ces B.  Johnson,  of  Washington,  with  a  silver  print  from  it.  Subject: 


C.    PHOTOGRAPHIC  PROCESSES. 


43 


The  Museum  at  Chalon-sur-Saone,  which  contains  the  Niepce  Collection. 
The  statue  seen  is  that  of  Niepce. 

322.  Stripped  negative  on  gelatine  film,  made  from  an  engrav- 
ing in  the  camera,  by  the  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston.  Negatives  of  this 
kind  are  used  to  make  the  printing  films  for  collographic  printing.  (See 
Division  D.) 

323.  Black  and  white  negative  on  glass,  made  from  a  line 
drawing  in  the  camera,  by  the  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston.  The  preced- 
ing camera-made  negatives  show  gradations  from  black  to  white  through 
half  tones.  This  negative  shows  clear  lines  (the  pure  glass)  on  a  per- 
fectly opaque  black  ground.  This  is  the  kind  of  negatives  used  for  line 
work  in  the  photo-mechanical  processes.    (See  Division  D.) 

324.  Artificial  negative  (so-called  "etching  on  glass"),  with  a 
silver  print  from  it.  The  glass  is  coated  with  a  thin  collodion  film,  sensi- 
tized, exposed,  and  developed  as  usual.  The  drawing  is  then  executed 
on  this  film  with  hard  points,  so  that  each  stroke  removes  the  film  and 
leaves  the  surface  of  the  glass  exposed,  thus  allowing  the  light  to  pass. 

4.  Positives  on  Glass. 

325.  Enlargement  made  in  the  camera,  from  a  smaller  collodion 
negative  by  W.  H.  Holmes. 

5.  Transfers  of  Positives. 

326.  Seven  collodion  positives  transferred  to  paper.  Made  in 
Paris  about  i860. 

327.  Two  collodion  positives  transferred  to  enamel  (not  burned 
in).    Made  in  Paris  about  i860. 

328.  Gelatine  bromide  positive  transferred  to  porcelain  by  means 
of  Eastman's  transferotype  paper. 

6.  Ambrotypes  are  thin  camera-made  collodion  nega- 
tives, on  which  the  deposit  is  kept  as  light  as  pos-  ible, 
mounted  on  a  black  background,  or  japanned  on  the  back. 

329.  Unbacked  ambrotype. 

330.  Four  backed  ambrotypes,  one  of  them  from  a  lithograph. 
The  tinting  of  the  cheeks  on  the  portraits  is  added  by  hand. 

7.  Ferrotypes  (melanotypes,  tiiitypes)  are  ambrotypes 
made  on  sheets  of  japanned  iron. 

331.  A  sheet  of  iron  used  for  ferrotypes. 

332.  Six  portraits.  The  sheet  with  many  portraits  was  made  at 
one  exposure  in  a  camera  with  as  many  lenses.  The  tinting  on  the  cheeks 
of  the  small  portraits  is  added  by  hand. 


8.    Silver  Prints. 


44 


CATALOGUE, 


333.  On  albumenized  paper.  Fifteen  portraits  and  views,  by 
the  Notman  Photographic  Co.,  Boston. 

334.  On  plain  paper.  Three  reproductions  of  oil  paintings,  with 
silver  prints  for  comparison,  by  C.  G.  Cox,  New  York. 

335.  On  Whatman  drawing  paper,  prepared  with  arrowroot, 
not  toned.    Eight  views  in  Egypt,  by  Hamilton  Emmons. 

336.  Gelatine  bromide  print.  Portrait,  by  Augustus  Marshall. 
Enlargement  from  a  smaller  negative. 

9.  Gold  Prints. 

337.  View  from  Nature,  by  T.  W.  SmiUie,  Washington.  Plain 
paper  sensitized  with  ferric  chloride,  developed  with  gold  chloride, 
washed  with  oxalic  acid  in  solution. 

10.  Iron  Prints. 

338.  Blue  print,  from  an  engraving.  By  the  Soule  Photograph  Co., 
Boston. 

339.  Blue  print,  from  the  waxed  paper  negative,  No.  317. 

340.  Ink  picture.  Printed  under  a  positive  (print).  From 
Lietze's  "  Heliographic  Processes." 

11.  Uranium  Prints. 

341.  From  an  engraving,  by  T.  C.  Roach. 

12.  Platinum  Prints. 

342.  Three  portraits.    By  Augustus  Marshall,  Boston. 

343.  Eight  portraits  and  groups.  By  the  Notman  Photographic 
Co.,  Boston. 

344.  Group.    "  Keeping  House,"  by  the  Obrig  Camera  Co. 

345.  From  a  painting,  "The  Mermaid,"  by  F.  S.  Church,  N.  A., 
by  A.  Z.  Seibert,  New  York. 

13.  Permanent  Photographs.  It  has  been  stated 
already  that  enamel  photographs  and  photographs  on  por- 
celain and  on  glass,  which  have  been  fired  in  a  kiln,  are 
practically  indestructible.  Without  entering  into  particu- 
lars, it  may  be  said  that  there  are  several  kinds  of  enamel 
processes,  known  as  substitution  processes,  and  dusting  or 
powdering  processes,  and  that  the  pigment-printing  pro- 
cess (see  below),  and  the  collographic  process  have  likewise 
been  used  for  the  production  of  enamel  pictures.  The 
enamels  here  shown  are  the  result  of  a  substitution 
process  involving  the  use  of  a  salt  of  iridium.  The  dust- 
ing or  powdering  processes  are  used  also  to  produce  per- 


45 


manent  pictures  on  paper.    The  principle  on  which  they 
rest  has  been  alluded  to  on  a  previous  page  (p.  40).  Of 
much  greater  importance  is  the  pigment-  (or  carbon-) 
printing  process,  which  must    be   explained  somewhat 
more  in  detail,  as  it  enters  largely  into  photo-mechanical 
process  work.    It  may  be  outlined  as  follows  :  An  inert 
pigment  (for  black  carbon  is  used,  whence  carbon-print- 
ing "  )  is    mixed  with  gelatine,  the  mixture  spread  on 
paper,  and  allowed  to  dry.    Paper  so  prepared  is  known 
as  "carbon  tissue."    For  use,  it  is  sensitized  on  a  solution 
of  bichromate  of  potash,  and  is  again  allowed  to  dry.  It 
is  then  exposed  to  the  light  under  a  negative.    The  light 
penetrates  the  gelatine  film,  deeply  where  its  action  is 
strongest,  less  deeply  where  it  is  less  strong,  but  always  in 
proportion  to  the  degree  of  action  exercised  by  the  light. 
As  the  light  hardens  the  bichromatized  gelatine,  so  that  it 
will  no  longer  dissolve  in  hot  water,  the  result  of  the  expo- 
sure is  really  the  production  of  a  very  slight  relief  in  the 
gelatine  film,  which  is  thickest  where  the  action  of  the 
light  was  strongest  and  thinnest  where  it  was  weakest,  with 
gradations  of  thickness  between  these  two  extremes  cor- 
responding to  the  gradations  of  light  and  shade  in  the 
original.    The  question  now  is  how  to  get  at  this  relief, 
which  is  embedded  in  the  general  mass  of  the  carbon  tis- 
sue, with  its  back  upward.    If  the  sheet  as  it  stands  after 
exposure  were  washed  in  warm  water,  the  unchanged  gela- 
tine between  the  relief  and  the  paper  supporting  it,  would, 
indeed,  be  dissolved,  but  the  thinner  parts  of  the  relief 
would  float  off  with  it.    To  prevent  this,  it  is  necessary  to 
transfer  the  gelatine  film  to  another  sheet,  to  which  it  is 
fastened  with  the  exposed  surface.  The  washing  away  of  the 
unchanged  gelatine  —  the  "developing"  as  it  is  called  — 
can  now  be  proceeded  with  without  danger,  until  only 
the  hardened  gelatine  relief,  colored  by  the  pigment  mixed 
with  it,  is  left  on  the  sheet.    It  stands  to  reason  that  this 
relief  produces  all  the  gradations  of  the  original,  since  in 
its  thickest  parts  it  allows  no  or  very  little  light  to  pass, 
while  in  its  thinner  parts  the  white  of  the  paper  is  seen 
through  it  in  proportion  to  their  thickness,  until  in  the 
high  lights  there  is  so  little  left  of  the  gelatine  film  that 
they  appear  of  a  clear  white.    If  a  reversed  negative  has 


46 


CATALOGUE. 


been  used  in  printing,  the  picture  is  correct  as  to  right  and 
left  after  it  has  been  transferred.  If,  on  the  contrary,  an 
ordinary,  unreversed  negative  has  been  used,  the  result  of 
the  first  transfer  is  a  reversal  of  right  and  left.  In  that 
case  it  becomes  necessary  to  do  the  developing  on  a  tem- 
porary support,  and  after  it  has  been  com.pleted  to  restore 
the  picture  to  its  correct  position  by  a  second  transfer. 
As  soon  as  the  definite  transfer  has  been  made,  the  gela- 
tine is  hardened  by  chemical  means,  so  as  to  make  it  insol- 
uble. As  the  pictures  produced  by  pigment-printing  are 
composed  of  carbon  or  other  inert  coloring  matter,  it  is 
evident  that  they  must  be  quite  as  permanent  as  impressions 
in  printer's  ink  taken  from  engraved  plates.  Pigment- 
printing  vvas  first  suggested  by  Poitevin  in  1855,  but  it  did 
not  become  practically  useful  until  Swan  elaborated  the 
transfer  process,  as  described  in  his  patent  of  1864. 

346.  Six  enamel  photographs.    By  Augustus  Marshall,  Boston. 

347.  '  Dusted  picture     By  F.  Joubert.  i860. 

348.  Carbon  tissue,  i,  e.,  paper  coated  with  gelatine  charged 
with  pigments  of  different  colors,  used  for  pigment-printing. 

349.  Pigment- Print  in  two  states,  i.  e.,  partly  washed  off  or  de- 
veloped, and  fully  developed. 

350.  Five  pigment-prints  (carbon-photos)  by  A.  Braun  &  Co.,  of 
Dornach. 

14.  Photomicrographs. 

351.  Group  of  Diatoms.    By  L.  H.  Loudy,  New  York. 

352.  Piece  of  a  Section  of  Wood.   By  T.  W.  Smillie,  Washington. 

15.  Enlargements. 

352<3:.    Piece  of  a  Section  of  Wood.    Enlargement  of  No.  352. 

353.  An  Egyptian  Statuette. 

(See  also  Nos.  325  and  336.) 

16.  Microphotographs. 

354  A  Pigeon  Post  Film,  such  as  were  used  during  the  siege  of 
Paris  for  communication  with  the  outside  world. 

355.  The  Lord's  Prayer,  Views,  etc.,  mounted  in  pendants. — 
Visitors,  desiring  to  see  these  specimens  of  microscopic  photography, 
will  please  ask  the  custodian  to  shoAv  them  to  them. 


C.   PHOTOGRAPHIC  PROCESSES. 


47 


17.  Instantaneous  Photography. 

356.  Five  photographs  of  vessels  in   motion.     By  T.  W. 

Smillie,  Washington. 

356^.  Two  enlargements  of  instantaneous  photographs  of  ves- 
sels C  Volunteer  "  and  Mayflower  ")  in  motion.  By  David  Mason 
Little,  Boston. 

357.  Two  photographs  of  lightning. 

18.  Orthochromatic  Photography.  To  properly 
translate  a  natural  view,  or  a  picture  in  colors,  into  mono- 
chrome, it  is  necessary  that  every  color  should  be  repre- 
sented according  to  its  correct  valuc^  i,  e.,  of  the  degree  of 
luminosity  which  it  seems  to  have  to  the  eye.  Thus  yellow, 
being  a  very  bright  color,  must  be  represented  nearly 
white,  whereas  a  medium  blue,  being  of  low  luminosity, 
must  be  of  a  correspondingly  low  shade  of  gray.  In  ordi- 
nary photography,  however,  as  it  was  carried  on  previous 
to  the  discovery  of  the  orthochromatic  processes,  the 
yellows,  as  well  as  the  reds  and  greens,  were  reproduced 
altogether  too  dark,  while  the  blues  and  even  the  violets 
were  rendered  far  too  light,  the  lighter  blues  often  appear- 
ing as  white.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  chloride, 
iodide,  and  bromide  of  silver,  which  are  used  as  the  sensi- 
tive substances  in  photography,  are  much  more  powerfully 
acted  upon  by  the  violet  and  blue  rays  than  by  the  green, 
yellow,  and  red  rays.  It  has  been  shown,  however,  that 
these  salts  may  be  made  more  sensitive  to  the  reds, 
yellows,  and  greens  by  treatment  with  certain  organic  sub- 
stances which  absorb  the  rays  in  question,  and  less  sensi- 
tive to  the  blues  and  violets  by  the  interposition  between 
the  sensitive  plate  and  the  object  to  be  photographed  of 
yellow  screens,  which  subdue  the  efTect  of  the  blue  and 
violet  rays.  The  results  reached  are  not  absolutely  cor- 
rect, but  the  specimens  here  shown  certainly  prove  that 
a  great  advance  has  been  made  towards  the  end  aimed 
at.  "  For  an  exact  representation  in  monochrome,"  says 
Capt.  Abney,  in  his  Treatise  on  Photography,"  perfect 
truth  can  only  be  attained  when  the  curve  of  sensitiveness 
of  the  compound  [used  in  the  treatment  of  the  sensitive 
plate]  to  the  spectrum  follows  the  curve  of  luminosity  of 
the  spectrum,  and  at  present  such  a  compound  has  not 
been,  nor,  if  an  opinion  may  be  expressed,  will  it  ever  be, 


48 


CATALOGUE. 


found,  but  an  approximation  may  be  made  by  an  artifice." 
The  study  of  orthochromatic  photography  was  first  carried 
on  systematically  in  Europe  by  Dr.  H.  W.  Vogel,  of  Ber- 
lin, and  in  America  by  ]\Ir.  F.  E.  Ives,  of  Philadelphia, 
who  was  the  first  also  to  introduce  it  commercially. 

358.  Blue  ribbon  on  a  yellow  ground,  with  photographs  from 
it  by  the  ordinary  and  by  the  orthochromatic  method,  by  F.  E.  Ives. 
The  negative  for  the  orthochromatic  photograph  was  made  on  a  com- 
mercial orthochromatic  plate,  with  a  yellow  screen  back  of  the  objective. 

359.  Chromolithograph,  with  photographs  from  it  by  the  ordi- 
nary and  by  the  orthochromatic  method,  by  F.  E.  Ives.  Same  method 
as  No.  358. 

360.  Two  photographs  from  a  painting,  one  by  the  ordinary, 
the  other  by  the  orthochromatic  method,  azaline  process,  by  W.  Kurtz. 

(  See  also  Nos.  582  and  583  in  Division  D.) 
2i^\a'-j.    Ten   photographs  from  paintings,  by  the  orthochro- 
matic method,  azaline  process,  by  W.  Kurtz. 

19.  Colored  photographs.  No  specimens  having  been 
obtainable,  the  attempts  to  photograph  the  spectrum,  paint- 
ings, etc.,  in  their  true  colors  at  one  exposure,  cannot  be 
illustrated  here.  The  combination  of  color  with  photog- 
raphy, by  pigments  laid  on  by  hand,  is  exemplified  by  some 
of  the  daguerreotypes,  etc.,  in  this  exhibition.  The  Bon- 
naudtype,  patented  in  1879  and  1882,  is  based  on  a  sim- 
ilar, but  more  intimate  combination.  Very  excellent  re- 
sults have  been  obtained  by  Mr.  F.  E.  Ives,  by  his  process 
of  composite  heliochromy  which  comes  as  near  solving  the 
problem  of  photographing  the  colors  of  nature  as  any 
method  yet  devised,  although  by  a  process  quite  different 
from  that  involved  in  the  experiments  alluded  to  at  the 
beginning  of  this  paragraph.  For  the  application  of  sim- 
ilar methods  to  printing,  see  Division  D,  Nos.  657-662. 

362.  Bonnaudtype.  On  a  lightly  printed  photograph,  used  to 
give  the  general  outline,  the  colors  are  laid  in  flat  tints  by  hand,  or  they 
may  be  printed  lithographically,  in  which  case  the  lightly  printed  photo- 
graph can  be  dispensed  with.  The  colors  themselves  are  either  mixed 
with  albumen,  or  the  paper  is  again  albumenized  over  them,  and  sensi- 
tized as  before.  It  is  then  exposed  once  more  under  the  same  negative, 
and  the  picture  this  time  is  fully  printed.  The  photograph,  therefore, 
is  either  developed  in  the  layer  of  colors,  or  the  colors  are  under  the 
photograph. 

363.  Composite  heliochromy.  Two  window  transparencies  of 
microscopic  objects  seen  by  polarized  light.    By  F.  E.  Ives.    Three  nega- 


Z?.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES. 


tives  are  made  on  one  plate  at  one  exposure,  in  a  triple  camera,  through 
carefully  adjusted  selective  color  screens,  cutting  off  respectively  the 
three  colors  which  correspond  to  the  three  fundamental  color-sensations 
according  to  the  Young-Helmholtz  theory,  viz. :  red,  green,  and  bluish 
violet.  These  negatives  are  primarily  intended  for  projection  on  a 
screen,  and  if  thus  used,  that  is  to  say  projected  upon  one  another  with 
red,  green,  and  bluish  violet  light,  again  very  carefully  adjusted,  the 
result  is  that  they  produce  in  the  eye  all  the  colors  of  nature.  Views 
from  nature  (Yellowstone  scenery,  etc.)  and  from  works  of  art  have 
thus  been  made,  which  are  very  successful.  The  transparencies  shown 
consist  of  three  superposed  gelatine  films  made  with  the  negatives  in 
question,  but  dyed  —  as  they  are  to  be  seen  by  transmitted  instead  of 
reflected  light  —  by  the  colors  complementary  to  the  three  fundamental 
color-sensations,  i.  e.y  by  yellow,  blue,  and  purple.  This  is  essentially  the 
combination  used  also  in  the  processes  based  on  the  old  three  primary- 
color  theory,  but  the  result  is  arrived  at  in  a  different  way,  and  the  hues, 
which  differ  somewhat  from  those  of  the  so-called  primary  colors,  are 
specially  selected.  The  process,  patented  by  Mr.  Ives,  has  not  yet  been 
applied  to  printing  in  its  present  development. 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES. 

The  demand  for  a  process  which  can  produce  a  multi- 
pliable  picture  without  the  intervention  of  either  designer 
or  engraver  would  seem  to  be  met  by  photography,  since 
from  a  negative  made  by  the  action  of  light  a  large  num- 
ber of  positives,  or  "  prints,"  can  be  obtained  by  the  same 
means.  Photography  has,  however,  several  limitations 
which  circumscribe  its  usefulness.  In  the  first  place,  most 
of  its  productions  are  not  free  from  the  suspicion  of  lack 
of  permanency.  In  the  second  place,  the  operation  of 
multiplying  copies  from  a  negative,  in  spite  of  all  improve- 
ments, is  still  too  slow  and  too  costly,  and  the  cost  increases 
in  the  same  ratio  as  the  promise  of  permanency.  Finally 
photographs  must  be  mounted,  which  is  a  fatal  objection 
to  them  as  book  illustrations,  and  still  more  unfits  them 
for  newspaper  work.  What  is  wanted  is  a  process  which, 
from  any  scene  in  nature,  or  stationary  or  rapidly  moving 
object,  or  work  of  art  of  any  kind,  will  produce  a  block  or 
plate,  printable  in  ordinary  printer's  ink,  on  an  ordinary 
press,  and  at  the  same  time  absolutely  reliable  in  the  ren- 
dering of  detail,  of  the  general  effect  of  light  and  shade, 
and  of  the  relative  value  of  the  various  colors  involved. 


so 


CATALOGUE. 


The  photo-mechanical  processes  —  so  called  because,  al- 
though based  on  photography^  their  final  products  are  a 
result  of  the  press,  which  is  a  mechanical  contrivance  — 
represent  the  nearest  approach  to  the  realization  of  this 
ideal  yet  devised,  even  if  they  do  not  wholly  reach  it. 
Aside  from  the  uniformity  of  texture  from  which  all  these 
processes  suffer,  the  chief  difficulty  in  the  way  is  that  they 
still  rely  too  much  on  human  skill  and  human  judgment. 
This  is  due,  partly  to  photography  itself,  which  yields 
negatives  of  different  degrees  of  perfection  and  which, 
therefore,  must  be  corrected,  and  partly  to  the  operations 
which  follow  photography,  such  as  etching,  —  the  success 
of  which  depends  entirely  on  the  skill  and  the  judgment  of 
the  etcher,  —  and  retouching  by  the  hands  of  the  engraver, 
which  nearly  all  blocks  and  plates  have  to  undergo  before 
they  are  ready  for  the  press.  The  process  of  the  future 
—  or  at  least  the  ideal  process  which  is  kept  steadily  in 
view,  although  it  may  never  be  reached  —  will  do  away 
with  all  these  disturbing  elements,  and  will  be  as  strictly 
a  scientific  operation  as  a  demonstration  in  chemistry. 
But  even  conceding  these  limitations,  it  must  be  acknowl- 
edged that  the  results  obtained  by  the  photo-mechanical 
processes  are  wonderful,  and  that,  by  the  reproduction  and 
dissemination  of  the  works  of  nature  as  well  as  of  art, 
they  have  become  a  powerful  and  beneficent  factor  in  the 
intellectual  life  of  our  time. 

The  technical  aim,  then,  of  the  processes  under  consid- 
eration is  the  production  of  blocks  and  plates  which  shall 
practically  be  precisely  the  same  as  the  blocks  and  plates 
produced  by  the  old  hand  processes  illustrated  in  division 
A  of  this  exhibition  That  the  aim  has  been  reached 
is  conclusively  shown  by  the  photo-mechanical  process 
blocks  and  plates  here  brought  together: — a  photo-me- 
chanical relief-block,  intaglio  plate,  or  planographic  print- 
ing surface,  differs  intrinsically,  as  far  as  fundamental 
technical  principles  are  concerned,  in  nothing  from  the 
same  kind  of  blocks,  plates,  and  surfaces  produced  by 
hand.  But  to  these  latter  the  photo-mechanical  processes 
have  added  several  new  varieties,  which,  although  they 
may  also  be  ranged  under  the  different  headings  of  relief, 
intaglio,  and  planographic  surfaces,  yet  differ  from  the 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES,  51 


older  processes  in  the  nature  of  the  printing  forms  used. 
These  are  :  for  relief  blocks,  the  glue-type,  made  of  hard- 
ened gelatine  ;  for  intaglio  plates,  the  Woodburytype,  the 
printing-form  for  which  consists  of  a  metal  plate  with 
shallow  cavities  into  which  a  solution  of  gelatine  colored 
with  a  pigment  is  poured,  instead  of  printing-ink  ;  and  for 
planographic  printing,  the  collographic  processes,  which  use 
printing  surfaces  of  gelatine,  so  treated  that  they  will  take 
the  ink  in  certain  parts,  while  they  will  reject  it  in  others. 
Most  of  these  results  are  illustrated  in  the  exhibition,  and 
will  be  spoken  of  more  in  detail  in  their  proper  places. 

The  photo-mechanical  processes  at  present  in  successful 
operation  are  almost  wholly  based  upon  the  properties  of 
certain  resinous  and  glutinous  substances,  and  the  changes 
which  they  may  be  made  to  undergo  under  the  influence 
of  light.  These  substances  are  :  asphaltum,  albumen,  and 
gelatine. 

If  asphaltum  is  spread  in  a  thin  layer  on  any  surface, 
and  is  then  exposed  to  light  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time, 
it  becomes  insoluble  in  its  usual  solvents,  such  as  turpen- 
tine or  benzine.  If,  therefore,  a  metal  plate  is  coated  with 
asphaltum  in  solution,  and,  after  it  has  dried,  is  exposed 
under  a  printing  screen,  either  negative  or  positive,  the 
parts  under  the  clear  portions  of  the  screen,  which  trans- 
mit the  light,  will  become  insoluble,  while  those  under  the 
dense  portions,  which  do  not  transmit  the  light,  will  remain 
soluble.  If  the  plate  is  now  washed  with  one  of  the 
solvents  of  asphaltum,  those  parts  of  it  which  have  re- 
mained soluble  will  be  removed,  while  the  hardened  parts 
will  remain.  It  is  self-evident  that  the  plate  in  this  condi- 
tion may  be  etched,  the  asphaltum  remaining  on  it  serving 
as  an  etching  ground,  and  that  the  result  will  be  a  relief 
block,  if  the  black  parts  of  the  design  were  hardened 
(under  a  negative),  or  an  intaglio  plate,  if  the  whites  were 
hardened  (under  a  positive). 

Albumen^  or  white  of  egg,  is  soluble  in  cold  water,  even 
after  it  has  been  allowed  to  dry.  If  it  is  mixed  with  a 
solution  of  potassium  bichromate,  spread  out  on  a  surface, 
and  then  dried,  it  still  remains  soluble  in  cold  water,  so 
long  as  it  is  not  exposed  to  light.  On  exposure  to  light, 
however,  it  loses  its  solubility.    Albumen,  therefore,  mixed 


52 


CATALOGUE, 


with  potassium  bichromate,  acts  like  asphaltum,  and  may  be 
used  like  it,  with  certain  modifications  in  the  manipulation. 

The  uses  of  gelatine  are  more  complex.  Gelatine,  which 
is  glue  in  a  purified  form,  swells  in  cold  and  dissolves  in 
hot  water.  On  cooling  it  assumes  the  consistency  of 
jelly,  and  finally  dries  out  and  hardens  again.  There  are 
various  qualities  of  gelatine,  some  harder,  some  softer, 
which  show  these  properties  in  various  degrees,  and  the  kind 
of  gelatine  used  is  adapted  to  the  work  to  be  done.  If 
gelatine  is  mixed  with  potassium  bichromate,  it  retains  its 
original  qualities  while  wet,  and  even  after  drying,  if  kept 
in  the  dark.  On  exposure  to  light,  however,  it  loses  them, 
that  is  to  say,  it  will  no  longer  swell  in  cold  or  dissolve  in 
hot  water.  From  this  change  in  the  nature  of  the  gelatine, 
various  other  results  follow.  For  instance,  gelatine  in  its 
normal  state,  if  made  to  adhere  to  an  unyielding  surface 
and  then  swelled,  assumes  a  reticulated  grain,  but  it  loses 
the  faculty  of  reticulating  in  exact  proportion  to  the  degree 
of  exposure  to  light  which  it  has  undergone.  Again,  the 
unchanged  gelatine  has  no  power  of  resistance  to  mor- 
dants, such  as  are  used  for  etching,  but,  bichromatized 
and  exposed  to  light,  it  acquires  this  power,  in  proportion 
to  the  degree  of  exposure.  In  a  similar  manner  it  may  be 
rendered  capable  of  accepting  printing  ink  while  in  a  moist 
state,  the  parts  most  hardened  accepting  the  most  of  it, 
while  those  that  have  been  protected  from  the  light  reject 
it.  Finally,  it  becomes  capable  of  resisting  the  impact  of 
sharp  bodies,  like  grains  of  sand  in  the  sandblast,  the 
degree  of  resistance  again  corresponding  to  the  degree  of 
exposure  to  the  light.  All  these  pecuHarities  have  been 
made  use  of  in  the  processes  under  consideration. 

The  chemical  process  involved  in  the  action  of  light  on 
asphaltum,  and  on  albumen  and  gelatine  mixed  with  a 
chromate  seems  to  be  one  of  oxidation,  the  asphaltum 
appropriating  oxygen  directly  from  the  air,  the  glutinous 
substances  being  affected  by  the  oxygen  liberated  by  the 
reduction  of  chromic  acid  to  chromic  oxide  which  takes 
place  when  a  chromate  is  exposed  to  the  Hght  in  the 
presence  of  organic  substances.  Instead  of  potassium 
bichromate  any  other  chromate  may  be  used,  the  base  of 
which  does  not  precipitate  gelatine.    Ammonium  bichro- 


D,    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  53 


mate  is  frequently  substituted  for  the  potassium  salt,  where 
greater  sensitiveness  to  light  is  considered  an  offset  to  in- 
creased cost. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  highest  aim  of  the  photo- 
mechanical processes  is  to  convert  a  photograph  from  any 
natural  scene,  or  from  a  painting,  into  a  printable  block  or 
plate,  without  the  intervention  of  designer  or  engraver. 
When  the  infinite  variety  of  flat  and  gradated  tints  in  such 
photographs,  etc.,  is  considered,  and  when  it  is  furthermore 
borne  in  mind  that  flat  tints  of  different  value  and  gradated 
tints  can  be  produced  in  the  press  only  by  means  of  lines 
or  dots  of  varying  size  and  placed  at  various  distances 
from  one  another,  the  difficulties  in  the  way  will  become 
apparent  at  once.  It  is  easy  enough  to  understand  the 
reproduction  of  drawings  in  lines  or  dots  by  these  processes, 
and  even  the  rendering  of  flat  and  gradated  tints  by  some 
of  the  photo-etching  processes  which  imitate  mezzotint  or 
aquatint,  does  not  offer  special  difficulties.  But  the  matter 
assumes  quite  another  aspect  when  it  comes  to  making  a 
relief  block,  to  be  printed  in  the  type-press,  from  a  photo- 
graph from  nature,  a  painting,  or  a  washed  drawing.  Tech- 
nically considered,  the  photo-mechanical  processes  achieve 
their  greatest  triumph  in  the  production  of  such  blocks, 
and  it  must  be  said  that  their  success  is  astonishing,  even 
when  looked  at  from  a  purely  artistic  point  of  view,  in  spite 
of  the  fact  that  the  unavoidable  uniformity  of  texture  tells 
more  unpleasantly  here  than  in  other  processes,  and  that 
these  so-called  "half-tone"  processes  cannot  render  white, 
except  by  the  aid  of  artifices  outside  of  their  proper 
sphere.  It  is  self-evident  that,  in  order  to  be  able  to  pro- 
duce a  "  half-tone  block,  the  flat  and  gradated  tints  must 
be  broken  up  into  corresponding  masses  of  lines  and  dots, 
but  it  would  be  impossible  to  enter  into  a  detailed  descrip- 
tion of  the  various  means  proposed  for  the  accomplish- 
ment of  this  end.  All  that  can  be  said  is  that  the  method 
almost  universally  employed  to-day,  involves  the  interposi- 
tion of  a  lined  or  grained  screen  between  the  sensitive 
plate  and  the  photograph,  painting,  or  drawing  to  be  copied. 
Careful  study  of  the  technical  exhibits  which  show  the 
various  stages  in  the  making  of  such  blocks  will  throw  at 
least  some  light  upon  the  subject.    It  may  be  said,  how- 


54 


CATALOGUE. 


ever,  that  practice,  in  this  case  as  in  so  many  others,  is 
ahead  of  theory,  and  that  no  thoroughly  lucid  and  incon- 
testable explanation  of  the  phenomena  involved  has  as  yet 
been  given. 

As  very  many  of  the  processes  in  daily  operation  for 
the  production  of  relief  blocks  are  etching  processes,  and 
as  the  tendency  is  growing  to  give  them  the  preference, 
mainly  for  commercial  reasons,  the  importance  of  the  etcher 
deserves  a  word  here.  Etching  is  a  difficult  enough  oper- 
ation, even  in  the  simple  manner  in  which  it  is  used  by  the 
painter-etcher,  but  this  is  as  nothing  compared  to  the 
difficulties  of  process-etching  for  relief  work.  The  prob- 
lem is,  to  etch  the  closest  as  well  as  the  more  open  work 
to  a  sufficient  depth  to  prevent  the  ink  from  filling  up  the 
spaces  between  the  lines,  and  at  the  same  time  to  leave 
each  line  with  a  solid  foot,  increasing  in  thickness  down- 
ward, so  that  it  may  not  break  down  under  pressure. 
These  necessities  have  developed  a  system  of  etching,  — 
first  practiced,  so  far  as  is  known,  by  Gillot  (see  p.  33),  — 
which  involves  an  extraordinary  amount  of  care  and  skill. 
It  will  not  do,  as  in  the  case  of  ordinary  etching,  to  bite, 
take  a  proof,  and  then,  if  need  be,  lay  a  rebiting  ground 
merely  on  the  surface  and  bite  again.  Not  only  the  sur- 
face of  the  lines  must  be  protected,  but  their  sides  as  well, 
and  this  in  corresponding  progression  as  the  biting  pro- 
gresses in  depth.  To  this  end  the  blocks  are  rolled  up 
between  the  various  stages  of  etching  with  a  special  kind 
of  ink  etching  ink'')  and  powdered  with  resinous  sub- 
stances, commonly  dragon's  blood,  and  these  are  melted 
on  by  heat,  gradually  allowing  the  resin  to  coat  the  sides 
downward,  and  then  filling  up  the  finer  parts  of  the  work, 
until  at  last  only  the  largest  whites  are  left  exposed  for  a 
final  etching.  The  delicacy  of  this  work  can  readily  be 
estimated  by  examining  the  blocks  exhibited. 

The  nomenclature  of  the  photo-mechanical  processes, 
owing  to  the  causes  mentioned  above  (p.  32),  is  unfor- 
tunately in  a  most  sorry  state,  so  much  so  that  the  congress 
of  photographers  not  long  ago  held  in  Paris  made  an 
attempt  at  regulating  it.  It  is  to  be  feared,  however,  that, 
so  far  as  the  trade  is  concerned,  this  and  a  similar  attempt 
made  in  Germany,  will  have  no  effect.    Many  of  the 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  55 


names  in  vogue  will  be  found  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  specimens  shown. 

The  history  of  the  photo-mechanical  processes  goes  back 
to  the  year  18 13,  when  Joseph  Nicephore  Niepce  began 
his  experiments  with  resinous  substances.  The  year  18 14 
is  usually  named,  but  Niepce  de  Saint  Victor,  the  nephew 
of  J.  N.  Niepce,  distinctly  says  18 13.  A  plate  made  by 
him  in  1824,  an  impression  from  which  is  shown  in  this 
exhibition  (see  No.  391),  is  the  oldest  known  piece  of 
photo-mechanical  process  work  still  in  existence.  The 
publication  of  Mungo  Ponton's  experiments  with  potas- 
sium bichromate,  in  1839,  t>e  looked  upon  as  the 
starting  point  of  the  later  processes  involving  the  use  of 
gelatine  and  bichromate.  Many  experiments  were  made  to 
transform  daguerreotypes  into  printable  plates  by  etching, 
without,  however,  leading  to  practical  results.  The  first 
experiments  in  photolithography  were  made  by  Dixon  in 
America  and  Lewis  in  Ireland  in  1841  and  by  Zurcher,  of 
Paris,  in  1842.  In  1852  Lemercier,  Lerebours,  Barreswill 
and  Davanne  began  to  work  their  asphaltum  process  on 
stone,  and  a  similar  process,  by  Macpherson,  was  patented 
in  England.  In  the  same  year  Fox  Talbot  took  out  his 
first  patent  for  producing  intaglio  plates,  with  bichromated 
gelatine  as  a  "  resist."  About  the  same  time  Niepce  de 
St.  Victor,  Mante,  Baldus,  Negre  and  others  in  Paris  pro- 
duced similar  plates  in  France,  using  asphaltum.  In  1854 
Paul  Pretsch  patented  his  process,  based  on  the  reticula- 
tion of  gelatine,  and  shortly  afterwards  established  the 
"  Photo-Galvanographic  Co."  in  London.  In  1855  Poite- 
vin,  of  Paris,  took  out  a  patent  for  a  swell  gelatine  pro- 
cess for  making  intaglio  and  relief  plates,  and  another 
for  photolithography  which  he  sold  to  Lemercier  in  1857. 
In  the  year  following  another  photolithographic  process 
was  patented  by  Cutting  &  Bradford,  of  Boston.  All  these 
processes,  with  several  others,  strove  to  produce  half-tone 
on  stone,  but  did  not  succeed  sufficiently  to  be  of  practical 
value.  The  first  really  useful  photolithographic  process, 
distinctly  limited  to  the  reproduction  of  line-work,  was  that 
invented  by  J.  W.  Osborne,  then  of  Melbourne,  in  1859. 
A  similar  process  was  invented  about  the  same  time  by 
Sir  Henry  James,  of  England. 


CATALOGUE, 


The  earliest  extended  commercial  application  of  pho- 
tography to  the  production  of  relief -blocks  is  said  to  have 
been  made  by  Lefman,  of  Paris.  The  first  conception  of 
the  collographic  process  and  of  the  Woodburytype  is 
claimed  by  Poitevin,  but  it  was  left  to  Tessie  du  Motay, 
of  Paris,  Husnik,  of  Vienna,  Albert  and  Obernetter,  of 
Munich,  and  Ernest  Edwards,  then  of  England,  to  make 
the  former  practically  useful,  while  the  latter  came  into 
notice  only  from  the  date  of  Woodbury's  patent,  taken  out 
in  1864. 

Since  that  time  the  activity  in  this  department  of  human 
research  and  invention  has  assumed  such  enormous  dimen- 
sions that  it  is  impossible  to  compress  the  facts  into  a 
small  compass.  The  most  important  events  of  the  inter- 
vening period  were  the  invention,  by  F.  E.  Ives,  of  Phila- 
delphia, of  a  process,  introduced  commercially  in  188 1,  by 
which  half-tone  photographs,  etc.,  were  transformed  into 
dots  by  mechanical  means,  and  that  of  the  Meisenbach 
process,  patented  in  1882,  which  was  the  first  screen 
process  successfully  used  on  a  large  scale  in  the  produc- 
tion of  half-tone  blocks. 

Nearly  all  the  important  steps  in  the  history  of  the 
photo-mechanical  processes  are  illustrated  in  the  present 
exhibition,  thanks  to  the  courtesy  of  the  officers  of  the 
U.  S.  National  Museum  (Smithsonian  Institution),  by  whose 
permission  most  of  the  early  specimens  here  shown  were 
brought  on  from  Washington. 

The  order  followed  in  the  arrangement  of  this  division 
of  the  exhibition  differs  from  that  of  the  other  divisions. 
The  technical  illustrations  —  the  means  used  in  the  various 
photo-mechanical  processes  —  have  been  grouped  together 
at  the  beginning,  so  far  as  they  can  be  shown  at  all ;  and 
of  the  results,  those  attained  by  the  intaglio  processes  are 
placed  first,  while  the  planographic  processes  occupy  the 
second  position,  and  the  relief  processes  the  third  and  last. 
This  is  in  accordance  with  the  historical  development. 


D,    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES. 


I.    TECHNICAL  METHODS. 

The  following  illustrations  comprise  only  the  leading 
processes,  and  more  especially  those  at  present  in  success- 
ful operation.  Of  intaglio  processes  {a.),  the  reproduction  of 
simple  line  work  by  etching  is  shown  (only  by  a  plate,  how- 
ever), with  two  varieties  of  the  method  for  the  production 
of  half-tone  plates  (from  photographs,  etc.),  which  involves 
the  use  of  an  aquatint  ground,  and  which  may,  therefore, 
be  conveniently  named  "  photo-aquatint."  There  are  other 
methods,  which  employ  swelled  gelatine  films  for  line  work, 
and  hardened  wash-out  films  mixed  with  gritty  substances, 
or  films  in  which  the  reticulation  of  the  gelatine  is  utilized, 
for  half-tone  work.  The  printing  plate,  in  these  cases,  is 
obtained  by  moulding  or  electrotyping.  Some  of  these 
will  be  briefly  discussed  in  connection  with  the  specimens 
illustrating  them  shown  under  "  Results."  The  Woodbury- 
type  is  also  illustrated  under  this  heading.  The  piano- 
graphic  processes  (b,)  are  represented  by  photolithography 
and  by  the  several  varieties  of  the  collographic  process. 
Photolithography  (and  photozincography,  which  is  in  reality 
the  same  thing)  may  be  divided,  as  to  the  originals  to  be 
reproduced,  into  line  processes  and  half-tone  processes, 
and  as  to  the  technical  method  used,  into  direct  processes 
and  transfer  processes.  In  the  direct  processes,  the  sensi- 
tive material  is  spread  directly  upon  the  stone  or  zinc 
plate,  and  these  latter  are  exposed  in  the  camera,  or  under 
a  negative  or  positive,  according  to  the  special  variety  of 
the  process.  In  the  transfer  processes,  the  image  is  first 
produced  on  paper,  and  from  this  it  is  transferred  to  stone 
or  zinc.  Only  one  of  these  many  possibilities  is  illustrated 
here,  by  the  Osborne  Process,"  which  is  a  line-transfer  pro- 
cess. Some  specimens  of  the  photolithographic  half-tone 
processes,  early  as  well  as  late,  will  be  found  among  the 

Results."  In  the  collographic  process,  one  of  the  great- 
est difficulties  involved  is  the  treatment  of  the  glutinous 
film  used  as  the  printing  surface,  so  as  to  enable  it  to  stand 
a  tolerably  large  edition.  The  early  workers  suffered  from 
the  tearing  away  of  the  films  from  their  support.    It  was 


CATALOGUE, 


essayed,  therefore,  to  attach  them  firmly  to  glass  as  well  as 
to  metal,  and  also  to  use  them  loose.  Printing  films  of  all 
these  three  varieties  are  shown  here.  The  relief  processes 
may  again  be  classified,  both  as  to  originals  to  be 
reproduced,  whether  in  lines  or  half-tone,  and  as  to  meth- 
ods used.  Of  the  latter  there  are  three,  —  the  etching 
process,  the  swell-gelatine,  and  the  wash-out  process,  all  of 
which  are  illustrated  here  in  their  application  to  line  work. 
Of  the  various  methods  devised  to  reproduce  half-tone, 
only  two  are  shown,  the  relief-aquatint  process  mezzo- 
type  "  )  and  a  screen-process.  The  former  is  sufficiently 
outlined  below.  The  chief  point  of  interest  in  the  screen 
processes  is  the  production  of  a  half-tone  negative  in 
which  the  flat  tints  and  continuous  gradations  from  black 
through  grays  to  white  of  an  ordinary  photograph  from 
nature  or  from  a  painting,  etc.,  are  transformed  into  masses 
of  dots  or  lines,  which  shall  be  uniformly  black,  and  yet 
reproduce  the  gradations  of  the  original  by  difference  in 
size  and  apparent  difference  in  distance,  although  the  dis- 
tance from  center  to  center  is  always  the  same.  This  neg- 
ative once  produced,  it  is  in  the  choice  of  the  operator  to 
use  either  the  etching,  the  swell-gelatine,  or  the  wash-out 
process  for  the  making  of  the  relief  block.  Only  one  of 
the  various  screen  processes  devised  is  illustrated  here. 
These  varieties  differ  not  only  in  the  manner  of  using  the 
screen,  but  also  in  the  pattern  of  the  latter,  whether  simply 
lined,  or  cross-lined,  stippled,  grained,  etc.  According  to 
the  character  of  the  work  to  be  done  the  screens  may  vary 
also  in  fineness,  that  is  to  say,  in  the  number  of  lines,  etc., 
to  the  inch.  A  third  method  of  producing  the  needed  neg- 
ative by  the  intervention  of  mechanical  means,  is  shown 
only  in  its  results.  See  the  original  *'  Ives  Process,"  No. 
703.  The  explanations  given  are  again  of  the  most  ele- 
mentary kind,  their  aim  being  simply  to  elucidate  the  broad 
principles  underlying  the  various  processes,  without  enter- 
ing into  minute  details  of  manipulation.  It  will  be  well, 
however,  to  bear  in  mind  that  these  details  are  of  the  first 
importance  to  the  practical  worker,  as  upon  them  depends 
the  economical  and  sure  application  of  the  principles. 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES,  59 


I.    The  materials  used. 

364.  Asphaltum  in  the  crude  state.  For  use  it  is  purified  by 
washing  with  ether,  and  dissolved  in  benzole.  The  solution  is  stained 
black,  to  make  it  more  easily  visible  on  the  plates  in  the  thin  layers  in 
which  it  is  applied. 

365.  Albumen.  The  shell  of  an  egg  is  shown,  as  a  reminder  of 
the  best  known  source  of  albumen. 

366.  Gelatine  in  sheets  and  in  shreds. 

367.  Potassium  bichromate. 

2.  The  properties  of  gelatine.  As  before  stated 
(p.  51),  the  part  played  by  asphaltum  and  albumen  in  the 
photo-mechanical  processes  is  quite  simple.  The  more 
complex  action  of  gelatine  is  elucidated  by  the  plaster 
moulds  and  the  cast  here  shown.  No.  368  is  a  mould  made 
from  a  swelled  gelatine  relief.  This  relief  was  obtained 
by  exposing  a  film  of  gelatine,  of  appreciable  thickness, 
mixed  with  potassium  bichromate,  to  the  action  of  light 
under  an  ordinary  negative  made  from  nature.  After 
exposure,  the  film  was  soaked  in  cold  water,  so  as  to  cause 
the  unaltered  gelatine  to  swell.  The  result  was  a  relief 
which  was  highest  in  those  of  its  parts  corresponding  to 
the  lights  in  the  original,  while  the  parts  corresponding  to 
the  blacks  were  lowest,  and  the  intermediate  shades  be- 
tween white  and  black  were  represented  by  proportionately 
intermediate  elevations.  In  the  mould  these  relations 
must  self-evidently  be  reversed,  so  that  the  parts  represent- 
ing the  lights  are  lowest,  while  those  representing  the  blacks 
are  highest.  The  second  mould,  No.  369,  is  from  a  wash- 
out relief,  obtained  by  the  process  employed  in  pigment- 
printing.  In  this  case,  the  bichromatized  gelatine  film, 
which  again  was  of  appreciable  thickness,  having  been 
exposed  under  a  negative  and  then  transferred  to  another 
support  (see  p.  45),  was  treated  with  hot  water,  which 
dissolved  the  unaltered  gelatine,  or  in  other  words  those 
parts  of  the  film  which  had  been  protected  from  the  action 
of  the  light  by  the  negative,  and  which  therefore  corres- 
ponded to  the  lights  of  the  original.  It  follows  that,  in 
the  hardened  wash-out  relief  thus  obtained,  the  high  lights 
must  be  represented  by  the  lowest  parts,  while  the  highest 
parts  correspond  to  the  deepest  blacks  of  the  original. 
The  cast,  No.  369,  made  from  the  mould  No.  368,  is  natu- 


6o 


CATALOGUE. 


rally  an  exact  counterpart  of  the  gelatine  relief  itself.  For 
other  moulds  from  swell-gelatine  reliefs,  see  No.  373  c, 
from  a  half-tone,  of  very  slight  elevation,  and  No..  383  e, 
from  a  relief  in  lines  and  dots,  and  very  pronounced. 

368.  Plaster  mould,  from  a  swelled  gelatine  relief,  with  a  silver 
print  from  the  negative  under  which  the  film  was  exposed. 

369.  Plaster  mould,  made  from  a  wash-out  relief. 

370.  Plaster  cast,  made  from  the  mould,  No.  369. 

(a.)    INTAGLIO  PROCESSES. 

3.  Photogravure  in  lines.  The  simplest  way  to  make 
an  intaglio  plate,  to  be  printed  on  the  roller-press  like  a 
plate  engraved  by  hand  or  etched,  from  an  original  in  pure 
black  lines,  is  to  cover  a  metal  plate  with  asphaltum  or 
albumen  mixed  with  a  bichromate,  and  expose  under  a 
black  and  white  positive.  The  parts  of  the  coating  under 
the  clear  spaces  of  the  positive  are  hardened,  those  under 
the  black  lines,  corresponding  to  the  lines  of  the  design, 
remain  soluble.  Washing  the  plate  with  a  suitable  sol- 
vent lays  bare  the  metal  under  the  lines,  and  the  plate 
can  then  be  etched,  the  hardened  coating  acting  as  a 
^'resist''  to  the  mordant.  Its  powers  of  resistance  can  be 
increased  by  rolling  up  in  ink  (^^ etching  ink")  and 
powdering  with  some  resinous  substance,  usually  dragon's 
blood. 

371.  Photogravure  plate,  copper,  from  a  drawing  in  lines,  made 
by  P.  H.  Mandel,  with  an  impression  from  it. 

4.  Photo-aquatint,  for  the  production  of  half-tone  in- 
taglio plates  from  photographs  from  nature,  paintings,  etc. 
A  dry  aquatint  ground  is  laid  on  a  metal  plate,  and  over 
this  is  mounted  a  gelatine  negative  film,  made  by  the  pig- 
ment-printing process  (see  p.  45).  To  obtain  this  negative 
film  a  reversed  positive  on  glass  has  first  to  be  made.  The 
reason  why  this  positive  must  be  reversed  will  become 
clear  when  the  nature  of  the  manipulations  in  the  pigment- 
printing  process,  which  involve  the  turning  of  the  film,  are 
considered.  The  film  mounted  on  the  plate  is  a  wash-out 
relief,  thickest  in  those  parts  which  are  to  show  white  in 
the  impression  from  the  plate,  and  gradually  growing  thin- 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES,  6i 


ner  towards  the  darkest  parts,  where  it  is  thinnest.  The 
relief  character  of  such  a  film  is  well  shown  by  the  positive 
on  glass,  No.  372  c,  which  was  also  made  by  the  pigment- 
printing  process.  The  film  acts  as  a  "resist"  to  the  mor- 
dant, allowing  it  to  pass  freely  in  the  thinnest  parts,  and 
less  and  less  freely  as  it  increases  in  thickness.  If,  how- 
ever, the  film  were  mounted  on  the  bare  plate,  and  the 
biting  then  proceeded  with,  the  result  would  be  of  no  prac- 
tical use,  as  the  plate  would  present  merely  shallow  hol- 
lows, incaple  of  holding  the  ink,  and  which  would  therefore 
be  wiped  out  in  the  attempt  to  clean  the  surface  of  the 
plate.  This  is,  however,  prevented  by  the  aquatint  ground, 
which  allows  the  mordant  to  circulate  only  in  the  channels 
around  the  resinous  particles  of  which  it  consists,  and 
thus  produces  a  grain,  precisely  as  in  ordinary  aquatint- 
ing.  The  mordant  used  is  perchloride  of  iron,  \^^hich  is  a 
"still  mordant,"  /.  one  which  does  not  evolve  bubbles 
of  gas.  An  effervescent  mordant  cannot  be  used,  as  the 
bubbles  rising  under  the  film  would  tear  it  up.  In  biting, 
successive  baths  of  varying  strength  are  used.  A  strong 
solution  of  perchloride  of  iron  penetrates  only  the  thinner 
parts  of  the  film,  whereas  a  weaker  acts  also  through  the 
thicker  parts.  The  biting,  therefore,  begins  with  a  strong 
solution,  which  acts  only  in  the  darkest  parts,  and  is  fol- 
lowed up  with  weaker  and  weaker  solutions,  which  con- 
tinue the  biting  in  the  darks  and  at  the  same  time  carry  it 
on  gradually  towards  the  lights.  If  necessary,  the  plate 
is  worked  over  with  the  burnisher  to  brighten  the  lights, 
and  with  roulettes,  etc.,  to  strengthen  the  darks. 

372.  Photo-aquatint  from  a  group  from  life. —  {a.)  The  origi- 
nal negative  from  life.  —  (^b.)  Silver  print  from  the  negative. —  {c.)  The 
reversed  positive  on  glass.  —  {d.)  The  bare  copper  plate.  —  (^.)  The  cop- 
per plate  with  the  aquatint  ground  laid  upon  it.  (The  next  step  would 
be  the  copper  plate  with  the  aquatint  ground  on  it,  and  the  reversed 
negative  gelatine  relief  mounted  over  it,  ready  for  biting,  but  this  stage 
is  not  shown.)  —  (/.)  The  finished  plate.  —  (g.)  A  proof  from  the  plate, 
"off  the  acid,"  i.  e.,  bitten  only,  without  any  retouching. —  (h.)  A 
proof  from  the  plate  partly  gone  over  by  the  engi-aver.  —  (f."  A  proof 
from  the  finished  plate.  The  finishing  is  confined  principally  to  clearing 
the  lights  by  burnishing.  —  The  N.  V.  Photogravure  Co.^  New  York. 

[Four  photogravures  made  by  this  process  are  shown  in  the  upper 
case.    See  also  Nos.  472-485.] 


62 


CATALOGUE. 


5.  Photo-aquatint  ("Photogravure  Gilbo'^).  This 
process  differs  from  the  one  previously  described  in  the 
nature  of  the  film  used  as  a  "  resist,"  and  by  the  manner 
in  which  the  gradations  are  obtained  in  biting.  Whereas 
in  the  former  process,  the  film  is  a  hardened  wash-out  gela- 
tine relief.,  mounted  on  the  plate  over  an  aquatint  ground, 
by  transferring  from  a  temporary  support,  in  the  present 
case  it  is  a  swell-gelatine  relief  formed  on  the  plate  itself, 
by  exposure  under  a  positive,  and  the  aquatint  ground  is 
laid  on  top  of  the  film.  The  mordant,  again  perchloride 
of  iron  (or  nitrate  of  silver),  as  a  matter  of  course,  pene- 
trates more  readily  through  the  unaltered  gelatine,  /.  e.^  the 
swelled  parts  of  the  relief,  the  resistance  increasing  with  the 
effect  of  the  action  of  light,  until,  where  the  exposure  has 
been  longest  and  there  is  no  swelling,  it  is  practically  com- 
plete. To  obtain  the  lighter  shades  upon  the  plate,  a  film 
is  formed  on  it  with  a  fine  aquatint  ground,  and  the  etching 
begun  with  weak  solutions.  The  film  is  then  removed  and 
a  proof  taken.  A  second  film  is  now  formed  on  the  plate, 
a  somewhat  coarser  aquatint  ground  is  laid  over  it,  and 
the  biting  is  repeated  with  stronger  solutions,  which  leave 
the  most  delicate  shades  as  they  were  obtained  by  the  first 
biting,  but  increase  the  depth  of  the  middle  tints.  The 
operation  is  repeated  a  third  time,  with  a  still  coarser 
aquatint  ground,  and  still  stronger  solutions,  10  give  the 
final  strengthening  of  the  blacks.  If  necessary  this 
sequence  of  operations  may,  of  course,  be  continued  until 
the  effect  desired  has  been  reached.  The  plate  is  com- 
pleted by  burnishing,  rouletting,  etc.,  as  before. 

373.  Photo-aquatint  from  a  portrait  from  life.  —  The  original 
negative  from  life. —  (^b.)  Silver  print  from  the  negative. —  {c.y  The 
positive  made  from  under  which  the  films  on  the  plate  were  ex- 
posed. —  (^.)  A  gelatine  film  on  a  copper  plate,  to  be  used  as  the 
resist,  but  without  the  aquatint  ground  laid  on  top  of  it.  (To  be  able 
to  show  this  film  it  had  to  be  washed  out  to  remove  the  unaltered 
bichromate,  as  otherwise  it  could  not  have  been  exposed  to  light,  with- 
out hardening  uniformly  throughout.  In  the  ordinary  course  of  oper- 
ations, when  the  plate  goes  into  the  bath  for  biting  immediately  aften 
exposure,  this  washing  is  dispensed  with.)  —  (^.)  A  plaster  mould,  taker 
from  the  film  {d'),  to  show  that,  in  its  swelled  condition,  it  actually  is  a 
most  delicate  relief. —  (/)  The  finished  plate.  —  (^.)  A  proof  after 
the  first  biting.  —  {h.)  A  proof  after  the  second  biting.  —  (2.)  A  proof 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  63 


after  the  third  biting.  —  (/^.)  A  proof  from  the  finished  plate.  The 
plate  has  purposely  been  left  without  retouching  of  any  kind  whatso- 
ever, beyond  repairing  the  light  spots  which  show  in  the  etching 
proofs,  and  which  are  attributed  to  lack  of  contact  between  the  positive 
and  the  plate  during  exposure.  — A.  W.  Elson  dr*  Co.,  Boston. 

[Four  photogravures  made  by  this  process  are  shown  in  the  upper 
case.    See  also  Nos.  486-506.] 

6.  The  Woodburytype,  so  named  from  the  patentee, 
W.  B.  Woodbury.  A  hardened  wash-out  gelatine  relief, 
produced  under  a  negative  by  the  pigment-printing  proc- 
ess, is  pressed  into  soft  metal  under  hydraulic  pres- 
sure. The  result  is  a  mould,  in  which  the  parts  corres- 
ponding to  the  darks  of  the  original  are  lowest  and  the 
lights  highest,  with  elevations  between  them,  proportionate 
to  the  intervening  gradations  from  black  to  white.  This 
mould  serves  as  the  printing  form.  After  having  been 
oiled,  it  is  filled  with  a  warm  solution  of  gelatine  holding 
some  pigment  in  suspension,  and  a  piece  of  paper  is 
pressed  against  it  until  the  gelatine  has  "set,"  /.  solidi- 
fied. Upon  the  removal  of  the  paper,  the  gelatine  adheres 
to  it,  forming  a  delicate  relief,  which  is  hardened  by  chemi- 
cal means,  so  as  to  make  the  gelatine  insoluble.  In 
allusion  to  the  relief-like  character  of  the  prints  thus 
produced,  the  process  has  been  called  "photo-relief  print- 
ing," but  the  term  is  misleading,  as  "relief  printing" 
carries  with  it  an  entirely  different  signification  of  long 
standing  (printing  from  relief-blocks).  The  printing 
form  or  mould  used  is,  moreover,  undoubtedly  an  intaglio 
plate,  /.  the  ink-carrying  cavities  are  sunk  into  it.  The 
Woodburytype  gives  very  beautiful  results,  but  unfortu- 
nately the  prints  are  apt  to  become  brittle,  from  drying  out, 
and  to  chip  off.  This  seems  to  be  more  especially  the 
case  in  America,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  climatic  influences. 

374.  A  Woodburytype,  from  a  portrait  from  life.  —  (^z.)  A 
hardened  gelatine  relief  film,  from  which  the  mould  is  made  by  pressing 
it  into  soft  metal.  (The  film  shown  is,  however,  reversed  as  to  right 
and  left).  —  A  printing  mould  made  from  a  hardened  gelatine 
relief.  —  (<:.)  An  impression  from  the  mould  {b.)  —  Woodbury  Perma- 
nent Photographic  Pri^iting  Co.,  London. 

[See  the  Woodburytype  in  the  upper  case,  and  also  Nos.  513-521.] 


64 


CATALOGUE, 


(b.)    PLANOGRAPHIC  PROCESSES. 

7.  Photolithography  Osborne's  Process"),  applied 
to  the  reproduction  of  line  work,  from  originals  in  purely 
black  lines.  A  sheet  of  paper  coated  with  albumen  and 
gelatine  sensitized  by  a  bichromate,  is  exposed  to  the  light 
under  a  black  and  white  negative.  After  exposure  the 
sheet  is  coated  over  its  whole  surface  with  transfer  ink. 
In  this  condition  it  is  floated  on  hot  water,  to  coagulate 
the  albumen,  and  is  then  washed  with  hot  water,  for  the 
purpose  of  developing  the  image.  The  hot  water  dissolves 
the  unchanged  gelatine  on  those  parts  of  the  sheet  corres- 
ponding to  the  whites  of  the  design,  and  with  it  removes 
also  the  ink  with  which  it  was  covered,  while  the  lines  of 
hardened  gelatine,  which  correspond  to  the  black  lines  of 
the  design,  are  left  on  the  paper,  and  retain  the  ink.  A 
transfer  to  stone  or  zinc  can  now  be  made  in  the  usual 
manner. 

375.  Photolithograph  from  a  drawing. —  {a^  The  original  draw- 
ing.—  (^.)  The  black  and  white  negative  made  from  the  drawing. — 
(<;.)  Lithographic  transfer  paper,  made  by  coating  paper  with  albumen 
and  gelatine,  and  sensitizing  it  with  bichromate  of  potash.  The  upper, 
lighter-colored  part  represents  the  paper  as  it  looks  before  exposure. 
It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  it  is  only  an  imitation,  as  the  paper 
itself  could  not  be  exposed  to  light  and  yet  kept  in  its  original  condi- 
tion. The  lower,  darker  part  is  a  piece  of  transfer  paper  as  actually 
prepared.  It  shows  the  color  which  the  sheet  assumes  under  exposure. 
After  the  exposure,  and  before  the  sheet  is  inked,  the  design  appears  on 
it  in  brown  lines  on  a  yellow  ground.  —  (^/.)  The  transfer  sheet,  after 
exposure,  and  inked,  one-half  of  it  developed.  —  (^.)  The  transfer  sheet 
fully  developed.  —  (/)  The  stone  with  the  transfer  on  it.  —  (^.)  An 
impression  from  the  stone.  —  The  N.  V.  Photogravure  Co.,  New  York, 
[Four  photolithographs  made  by  this  process  are  shown  in  the  upper 
case.    See  also  Nos.  538-549.] 

8.  Collographic  processes.  A  film  of  gelatine,  mixed 
with  a  bichromate,  is  spread  upon  a  glass  plate,  coated  with 
a  preliminary  film  consisting  either  of  albumen,  bichro- 
mated  and  exposed  through  the  glass,  or  of  a  mixture  of 
water  glass  (which  is  a  soluble  alkaline  silicate)  and  albu- 
men, or  of  waterglass  and  stale  beer.  The  object  of  these 
preliminary  films  is  to  form  a  substratum  closely  adhering 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  65 


to  the  glass,  to  which,  in  its  turn,  the  gelatine  film  can 
adhere.  Or,  instead  of  glass,  a  copperplate,  slightly 
roughened,  is  used  as  a  support  for  the  gelatine  film,  in 
which  case  no  preliminary  coating  is  required.  The 
bichromated  gelatine  film,  whether  on  glass  or  on  copper, 
is  then  exposed  to  the  light  under  a  reversed  negative. 
Reversed  negatives  can  be  made  either  by  stripping  the 
collodion  film  from  the  glass,  and  turning  and  remount- 
ing it,  or  a  mirror  or  prism  may  be  placed  before  the  objec- 
tive, and  a  reversed  image  reflected  into  it.  The  negatives 
used  for  making  the  printing  films  in  these  processes  are 
generally  mounted  on  gelatine  films  (see  No.  322),  partly 
for  the  sake  of  convenience,  as  it  is  necessary  to  preserve 
them,  so  as  to  be  able  to  renew  the  printing  film  in  case  of 
accident  or  of  long  editions,  and  partly  because  they  give 
better  contact.  After  exposure,  the  printing  film  is  washed, 
so  as  to  remove  the  unaltered  bichromate,  as  otherwise  the 
whole  film  would  harden  uniformly  in  all  its  parts  on 
exposure  to  light.  A  film  so  treated  consists  of  gelatine  in 
its  normal  condition  in  those  parts  representing  the  lights 
of  the  picture,  of  hardened  gelatine  in  those  representing  the 
blacks,  and  of  proportionately  more  or  less  hardened  gela- 
tine in  the  gradations  between  white  and  black.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  swelled  gelatine  relief,  or  a  film  capable  of  being 
swelled  into  relief,  in  which,  however,  the  relief  is  purposely 
kept  as  low  as  possible,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  ink- 
ing. If  such  a  film  is  moistened,  and  then  rolled  up  in 
ink,  it  accepts  the  latter  in  due  proportion  on  the  blacks 
and  grays  uf  the  picture,  and  rejects  it  on  the  whites,  like 
a  lithographic  stone,  and  the  printing  is,  indeed,  done  on 
lithographic  presses,  both  hand  and  steam,  slightly  altered. 
In  a  third  modification  of  the  process  loose  printing  films 
of  gelatine  toughened  by  the  admixture  of  alum  are  used, 
and  the  printing  is  done  on  platten  presses,  the  moistened 
film  being  attached  to  temporary  metal  supports  by  atmos- 
pheric pressure.  This  form  has,  however,  gone  practically 
out  of  use. 

376.  Collographic  process:  Printing  films  on  glass.  From  an 
oil  painting.  —  {a.)  The  printing  film,  not  rolled  up.  —  {b.)  The  print- 
ing film  rolled  up  in  ink.  —  (<:.)  An  impression  from  the  film.  —  The 
Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 


66 


CATALOGUE. 


377.  Collographic  process  :  Printing  fihns  on  copper.  Portrait 
from  life. —  {a.)  The  original  negative  from  life.- — {b.)  Silver  print 
from  the  negative.  —  (<:.)  Printing  filmj  not  rolled  up.  —  (</.)  Printing 
film,  rolled  up  in  ink.  —  (f.)  Impression  from  the  film.  As  an  unre- 
versed negative  was  used  in  making  the  printing  film,  the  impression  is 
reversed.  —  The  N.  V.  Photogravure  Co.,  New  York. 

378.  Collographic  process  :  Loose  printing Jil7?zs.  —  A  print- 
ing film  made  under  a  negative  from  nature,  rolled  up  in  ink.  —  (3.) 
A  printing  film  made  under  a  negative  from  an  engraving,  rolled  up 
in  ink.  —  (^c.)  An  impression  from  the  film  {b.).  The  lettering  is  printed 
separately  from  type. —  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.,  Boston. 

[Eight  specimens  of  collographic  printing,  by  the  Art  Publishing  Co., 
the  N.  Y.  Photogravure  Co.,  and  the  Heliotype  Printing  Co.,  are  shown 
in  the  upper  cases.    See  also  Nos.  580-662,] 


(c.)    RELIEF  PROCESSES. 

9.  The  Etching  Process,  applied  to  the  reproduc- 
tion of  drawings  in  lines  of  pure  black.  A  zinc  (or  cop- 
per) plate  is  coated  with  asphaltum,  or  with  albumen  mixed 
with  a  bichromate,  and  exposed  under  a  reversed  black 
and  white  negative,  made  from  the  drawing  to  be  repro- 
duced. After  exposure,  it  is  washed  with  a  suitable  solvent, 
which  removes  the  unchanged  part  of  the  coating,  leav- 
ing the  lines  of  the  design  upon  the  plate  in  hardened 
asphaltum  or  albumen.  It  is  then  etched  into  relief,  as 
elsewhere  explained,  gone  over  with  the  graver  and  routed 
out  where  necessary,  and  mounted  on  a  type-high  wood 
block,  like  an  electrotype. 

379.  Etched  relief  block  from  a  drawing.  —  {a^  The  drawing. 
—  (^.)  The  reversed  black  and  white  negative  from  the  drawing, 
reduced  in  size  in  the  camera.  —  (^.)  Print  on  a  zinc  plate  in  albumen. 
In  the  ordinary  course  of  operations,  the  plate  would  be  rolled  up  in  ink, 
before  development,  and  the  design  would  appear  on  the  plate  in  black 
lines.  In  this  case  the  plate  was  not  rolled  up,  so  as  to  show  the  thin 
film  of  hardened  albumen  on  it  in  which  the  design  was  formed  by  the 
action  of  light.  —  {d.^  Print  on  a  zinc  plate  in  asphaltum,  one  half 
washed  off  or  "  developed."  —  (^.)  Print  on  a  zinc  plate,  fully  developed, 
ready  for  biting.  (The  prints  in  albumen  and  in  asphaltum  from  the 
same  negative  are  shown  together,  to  illustrate  the  two  methods  of 
obtaining  the  "  resist.")  —  (/)  The  plate  after  the  first  etching.  —  (^.) 
The  plate  finished  and  ready  for  printing.  —  {h.^  An  impression  from 
the  finished  block.  —  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 


Z>.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  67 


10.  The  Etching  process,  for  relief  work  in  lines,  ap- 
plied to  quick  newspaper  work.  The  process  is  precisely 
the  same  as  that  described  in  the  preceding  paragraph,  but 
the  present  exhibit  illustrates  the  rapidity  of  which  it  is 
capable,  and  which  makes  it  possible  to  give  pictorial 
representations  of  the  events  of  the  previous  day  and  even- 
ing, in  the  newspapers  of  next  morning.  As  this  involves 
night  work,  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that  the  photo- 
graphic part  of  the  operations  is  done  by  electric  light. 
The  subject  represented  is  the  Yale-Harvard  foot-ball 
match  played  at  Springfield  on  Nov.  21,  189 1.  The 
drawing,  based  upon  a  small  instantaneous  photograph, 
was  finished  by  evening,  the  negative  was  made  by  10.30 
p.  M.,  and  the  block  was  ready  for  the  printer  by  12.30  a.  m., 
Nov.  22.  It  appeared  in  the  Boston  "Morning  Herald," 
of  Nov.  22,  1891. 

380.  Newspaper  Work.  —  {a?)  The  drawing.  —  (^.)  The  re- 
versed black  and  white  negative.  —  (r.)  The  plate  ready  for  printing.  — 
(^/.)  A  proof  from  the  plate.  —  (f.)  The  papier  mache  matrix  used  for 
casting  the  stereotype  from  which  the  block  was  printed  in  the  "  Her- 
ald." —  (/!)  An  ordinary  impression  from  the  Herald "  of  Nov. 
22,  1 89 1. —  The  Bostoft  Engravuig  Co.y  Boston. 

11.  Photo-aquatint  in  relief  ("  Mezzotype  "),  for  the 
reproduction  of  photographs  from  nature  and  other  half- 
tone originals.  This  is  simply  the  reversal  of  the  photo- 
aquatint  process  as  used  for  the  production  of  intaglio 
plates  The  "  resist "  is  a  gelatine  film  and  the  grain  is 
secured  by  an  aquatint  ground,  but  a  reversed  negative  is 
used  instead  of  a  positive,  so  that  the  whites  are  bitten 
away  instead  of  the  blacks. 

381.  Mezzotype.  — The  fmished  block  with  an  impression  from  it. 
(The  original  was  evidently  an  engraving,  but  in  the  reproduction  the 
lines  are  broken  up  into  a  grain.)  —  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 

382.  Mezzotype. — The  finished  block,  with  an  impression  from 
it.  (The  original  was  a  line  engraving,  which  was  reproduced  as 
such,  except  in  the  face,  where  the  aquatint  ground  was  utilized,  as  the 
print,  from  which  the  block  had  to  be  made,  was  weak  in  these  parts.)  — 
The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 

12.  The  Swell-Gelatine  Process,  applied  to  the  re- 
production of  line  work.    A  bichromatized  gelatine  film 


68 


CATALOGUE. 


is  laid  on  a  glass  plate,  and  exposed  under  a  black  and 
white  negative.  After  exposure,  the  film  is  soaked  in 
water,  which  causes  the  lines  that  were  protected  by  the 
black  portions  of  the  negative,  and  which  correspond  to  the 
whites  of  the  design,  to  swell  up,  while  those  lines  which 
were  not  protected,  and  which  correspond  to  the  blacks,  do 
not  swell.  The  film  in  this  condition  represents  a  mould 
or  matrix,  and  a  cast  taken  from  it  could  be  used  in  the 
printing  press,  if  the  material  of  w^hich  it  is  made  were  suf- 
ficiently hard.  As  this  is  not  the  case,  however,  another 
matrix  has  to  be  made  from  the  first  cast,  and  from  this 
second  matrix  a  stereotype  is  cast,  w^hich  is  finished  with 
the  graver  and  routed  where  necessary,  and  mounted  type- 
high  on  a  wood-block.  The  difficulty  in  the  swell-gelatine 
process,  to  be  overcome  only  by  great  skill  and  experience, 
is  the  production  of  lines  which  are  neither  rounded  nor 
concave,  but  perfectly  flat  on  the  surface. 

383.  Swell-gelatine  relief  block,  from  a  drawing.  —  (^.)  A 
drawing  made  upon  a  photograph,  in  imitation  of  an  engraving,  and 
the  photograph  then  bleached  out.  —  {b?)  Black  and  white  negative 
made  from  the  drawing.  —  f  )  Plaster  cast  from  the  swelled  gelatine 
film  made  under  the  negative.  The  film  itself  is  not  shown.  In 
the  practical  working  of  the  process,  this  first  cast  is  not  made  in  plaster, 
but  in  a  soft  mass  which  every  operator  holds  secret,  although  several 
recipes  have  been  published.  —  \d.^  Stereotype  made  from  a  matrix 
obtained  from  the  cast  (r.j. —  {e.  )  The  stereotype,  routed  and  trimmed 
with  the  graver  and  mounted  on  the  block,  ready  for  printing.  —  (/) 
Impression  from  the  rough  stereotype  (^/.). —  (^.)  Impression  from  the 
finished  block.  —  The  Moss  Engraving  Co.,  New  York. 

[Four  impressions  from  blocks  made  by  this  process  are  shown  in  the 
upper  case.    See  also  Nos.  673,  674,  688  and  689.] 

13.  The  Wash-Out  Process,  applied  to  the  reproduc- 
tion of  line  work.  A  thick  film  of  bichromated  gelatine  is 
formed  on  a  plate  of  glass.  This  film,  after  it  has  set,  is 
transferred  and  cemented  to  a  zinc  plate,  with  the  side 
that  was  next  to  the  glass  upw^ards.  It  is  then  exposed 
under  a  reversed  black  and  white  negative.  The  ex- 
posure hardens  the  gelatine  film  under  the  clear  spaces  of 
the  negative,  which  represent  the  black  lines  of  the  origi- 
nal, but  leaves  it  soluble  under  the  dense  parts,  which 
represent  the  whites.  The  film  is  now  treated  with  warm 
water  so  as  to  wash  away  the  unchanged  gelatine  between 


Z>.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  69 


the  hardened  lines,  leaving  the  latter  standing  in  relief. 
As  soon  as  sufficient  depth  has  been  obtained,  the  wash- 
ing away,  or  "  development,"  is  stopped.  A  film  of  this 
kind  can  be  printed  from,  and  this  is  actually  done  in  the 
"gluetype"  process  (see  No.  704).  Usually,  however,  a 
wax  mould  is  made  from  the  film,  and  from  this  an  electro- 
type. 

384.  Wash-out  relief  block,  made  from  a  wood-engraving.  — 
(<2.)  The  wood-engraving  used  as  the  original. —  (<^.)  Reversed  black 
and  white  negative  made  from  the  wood-engraving,  reduced  in  size.  — 
(r.)  The  gelatine  film  formed  on  glass.  (The  film  shown  is  simply  gel- 
atine, not  mixed  with  bichromate.)  —  {^d^  The  film  transferred  to  zinc, 
exposed,  and  washed  out.  —  (^.)  Another  washed-out  film,  filled  in  with 
white,  to  bring  out  the  design.  —  (/)  The  electrotype  made  from  the 
washed-out  film.  —  (^.)  Impression  from  the  washed-out  gelatine  film. 
—  (/^.)  Impression  from  the  electrotype.  —  The  N.  V.  Engraving  and 
Printing  Co,,  New  York. 

14.  Screen  processes  for  producing  half-tone  relief 
blocks.  As  before  stated,  the  main  point  of  interest  in 
these  processes  is  the  making  of  the  black  and  while  half- 
lone  negative,  in  which  the  flat  tints  and  gradations  of  the 
original,  which  an  ordinary  negative  translates  into  flat 
and  continuous  gradated  tints  of  black  and  gray,  are 
transformed  into  masses  of  black  dots  of  equal  density, 
gradated  in  size  and  grouped,  apparently,  closer  together  or 
farther  apart,  although  always  equidistant  from  center  to 
center,  so  that,  seen  at  a  distance,  they  shall  merge  in  the 
eye  into  flat  tints  and  gradations  answering  to  those  of 
the  original.  The  difference  between  an  ordinary  half- 
tone negative  and  a  process  half-tone  negative  will  be 
best  understood,  if  the  former  is  considered  as  a  washed 
India  ink  drawing,  and  the  latter  as  a  stipple  drawing 
made  from  it  with  pen  and  ink.  To  reach  this  result  a 
wet  collodion  plate  is  used  in  the  camera,  and  before  it, 
at  a  slight  distance  from  it,  is  placed  a  glass  screen  ruled 
with  fine  black  lines,  in  the  process  here  illustrated,  lines 
crossing  one  another.  The  rays  of  light  reflected  by  the 
picture  or  other  object  to  be  photographed  pass  through 
the  clear  spaces  of  the  screen  on  their  way  to  the  sensitive 
plate,  while  all  light  is  cut  off  by  the  black  hnes  of  the 
screen.    It  is  evident  that  the  image  produced  on  the 


70 


CATALOGUE. 


plate  must  consist  of  isolated  dots.  As,  however,  the 
light  falling  through  the  minute  apertures  of  the  screen 
varies  in  intensity  according  to  the  lights  and  shades  of 
the  original,  one  would  expect  to  obtain  a  picture  in  black 
dots  and  dots  of  different  shades  of  gray  between  crossing 
white  lines,  but  all  of  the  same  size.  This  is  not  the  case, 
however.  Where  the  light  acts  with  greater  force,  that  is 
to  say  in  the  w^hites  and  lighter  shades  of  the  picture,  it 
overcomes  to  a  certain  extent  the  effect  of  the  black  lines 
of  the  screen,  so  that  the  whites  run  together,  and  leave 
only  parts  of  these  lines  visible  as  black  dots  on  a  white 
ground.  In  the  darker  parts  of  the  picture,  on  the  con- 
trary, in  proportion  to  the  loss  of  intensity  of  the  light 
reflected  through  the  screen,  the  lines  hold  their  own,  and 
the  gradations  are  formed  by  white  dots  on  a  black  ground^ 
until,  in  the  blacks,  there  is  no  action  whatever.  In  the 
development  of  the  latent  image  on  the  plate  care  is  taken, 
as  a  matter  of  course,  to  bring  it  out  fully  and  to  increase 
the  density  of  the  deposit  as  much  as  may  be  without  filling 
up  the  finer  parts.  The  great  difficulty  in  these  processes 
is,  so  far  as  the  rendering  the  values  of  the  original  is  con- 
cerned, that  they  cannot  produce  white,  a  limitation  which 
is  perhaps  too  much  emphasized  in  the  reproduction  of  a 
scale  of  tints  here  shown.  This  reproduction  has,  however, 
been  purposely  left  as  the  camera  and  flat  etching  produced 
it.  By  stopping  out  and  continuing  the  etching  in  the 
lighter  tints,  without  protecting  the  sides  of  the  lines  or 
dots,  a  greater  range  of  tones  might  have  been  secured,  and 
pure  white  might  have  been  obtained  by  cutting  away  the 
grain  between  and  around  the  various  compartments. 
These  artifices  are,  indeed,  employed  in  the  practical  oper- 
ation of  the  process.  It  has  been  stated  before,  that,  after 
the  half-tone  negative  has  been  made,  the  block  from  it 
may  be  produced  by  either  the  etching,  the  swelling,  or  the 
wash-out  process.   All  the  blocks  here  shown  were  etched. 

385.  Half-tone  relief  block,  from  a  scale  of  flat  tints  from  black 
to  white.  —  {a?\  The  original  from  which  the  negative  was  made. —  {b^ 
The  screen  used  in  making  the  negative.  Black  lines  crossing  one 
another,  124  lines  to  the  inch. —  (<;.)  The  half-tone  negative. —  {d.) 
The  block  made  by  means  of  the  negative  (^r.),  etched  on  zinc.  —  (^.) 
Impression  from  the  block.  —  M.  Wolfe,  Dayton^  O, 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES,  71 


386.  Half-tone  relief  block,  made  from  a  photograph  from  a 
painting.  —  (^?.)  The  reversed  half-tone  negative.  —  {b.)  The  block. 
Etched  on  copper.  —  {c.')  Impression  from  the  block.  —  The  Art  Pub- 
lishing Co.,  Boston. 

387.  Half-tone  relief  block,  made  from  a  portrait  photograph 
from  life. —  (^.)  The  photograph  (silver  print).  —  {b.')  The  block. 
Etched  on  copper.  —  {c.)  Impression  from  the  block.  —  The  Art  Pub- 
lishing Co.,  Boston. 

388.  Half-tone  relief  block,  made  from  a  lithograph.  —  («.) 
The  lithograph. —  {b.)  The  block.  Etched  on  copper. —  (<:.)  Impres- 
sion from  the  block.  —  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 

15.  The  Relief  Processes  applied  to  Color-Print- 
ing.  The  specimens  shown  illustrate  the  method  of  mak- 
ing prints  in  colors  from  half-tone  originals,  as  well  as 
from  originals  in  line,  by  the  processes  described.  For 
the  print  in  colors,  No.  389,  the  washed  drawing  which 
served  as  an  original,  was  reproduced  by  screen  process, 
and  the  color-blocks  added  are  based  essentially  on  the 
three-color  theory,  one  having  been  printed  in  brown, 
which  is  dark  yellow,  and  the  other  two  in  red  and  blue. 
The  yellow  frame  does  not  enter  into  the  color-scheme  of 
the  picture  itself,  being  merely  ornamental.  In  the  making 
of  the  color  blocks,  the  negative  from  the  washed  drawing 
served  merely  as  a  guide,  or  key,  such  parts  of  it  being 
used  for  each  block  as  the  artist  who  directed  the  oper- 
ations deemed  advisable.  Some  of  the  blocks  are  in 
aquatint,  etched  into  relief.  No.  390  is  a  much  simpler 
specimen,  the  reproduction  of  a  drawing  in  lines,  to  which 
a  tint  has  been  added  from  an  aquatint  rehef  block. 

389.  Color-print  from  five  blocks.  — The  original  washed  draw- 
ing, with  the  blocks,  and  a  set  of  progressive  proofs  from  them.  The 
first  impression  is  from  the  first  block,  the  second  from  the  second,  the 
third  from  the  first  and  second  together,  the  fourth  from  the  third 
block,  the  fifth  from  the  first,  second,  and  third  together,  and  so  on.  — 
The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 

390.  Color-print  from  two  blocks. — Only  the  proofs  are  shown, 
the  first  from  the  block  reproducing  the  drawing,  the  second  from  the 
tint  block,  the  third  from  both  together. —  The  Art  Publishing  Co., 
Boston, 


72 


CATALOGUE, 


II.  RESULTS. 

Intaglio  Processes. 

I.  Joseph  Nicephore  Niepce,  the  earliest  investi- 
gator of  the  effect  exercised  by  light  upon  asphaltum,  with 
a  view  to  the  production  of  intaglio  plates.  Niepce  coated 
his  plates  with  asphaltum  dissolved  in  oil  of  lavender,  and 
exposed  them  under  positives,  /.  under  the  prints,  etc., 
which  he  tried  to  reproduce,  or  in  the  camera,  and  used  the 
same  oil  as  a  solvent  to  develop  the  image  after  exposure. 
The  specimen  here  shown,  made  from  a  print  placed  in 
contact  with  the  plate,  is  one  of  a  limited  number  of  im- 
pressions taken  in  1864  from  the  oldest  plate  of  this  kind 
still  in  existence.  It  was  made  in  1824  and  is  now  pre- 
served in  the  museum  at  Chalon-sur-Saone.  The  metal 
is  said  to  be  tin.  Niepce  named  his  process  "helio- 
graphy.'^ 

391.    Cardinal  d'  Amboise.    From  an  engraving  by  Isaac  Briot. 

2.  Henry  Fox  Talbot  took  out  two  patents  in  Eng- 
land, Oct.  29,  1852,  and  April  21,  1858,  for  making  intaglio 
plates,  involving  the  use  of  a  bichromate  with  gelatine  as 
the  resist,"  and  perchloride  of  platinum  or  of  iron  as  the 
mordant.  To  give  a  grain  to  the  plate,  Talbot  proposed 
a  first  exposure  under  woven  fabrics  or  under  a  sheet  of 
glass  with  opaque  lines,  to  be  followed  by  exposure  under 
a  positive,  or  the  laying  of  a  dry  aquatint  ground,  either 
under  or  over  the  gelatine  film.  He  also  pointed  out  the 
use  of  baths  of  different  strength  in  etching.  The  result- 
ing prints  he  called  "  photoglyphs."  Nos.  392  and  393 
are  proofs  given  to  J.  W.  Osborne  by  Talbot  himself. 
No.  394  was  published  in  the  "  Photographic  News,"  of 
Nov.  12,  1858.  All  three  are  from  negatives  directly 
from  the  buildings,  etc.,  represented. 


392.  Statue  of  Charles  IV.,  Prague. 

393.  Temple  of  Edfou,  Egypt. 

394.  The  Institute  of  France. 


THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  73 


3.  Paul  Pretsch  was  the  first,  so  far  as  known,  to  make 
use  of  the  grain  resuhing  from  the  reticulation  of  bichro- 
mated  gelatine  adhering  to  an  unyielding  surface,  when 
swelled  by  the  absorption  of  water  after  exposure  to  light. 
According  to  his  English  patent  of  Nov.  9,  1854,  he  mixed 
the  bichromated  gelatine  with  a  solution  of  silver  nitrate 
and  of  potassium  iodide,  exposed  under  a  print,  etc.,  or  a 
positive,  and  then  developed  the  picture,  i,  e.^  brought  it 
into  relief,  by  washing  with  cold  water  or  a  solution  of 
borax  or  of  carbonate  of  soda.  From  this  gelatine  film  a 
printing  plate  was  obtained  by  galvanic  action.  Pretsch 
therefore  called  his  process  "  photo-galvanography,"  and 
the  publishing  company  which  he  organized,  the  "  Photo- 
Gal  vanographic  Co."  All  of  the  specimens  here  shown, 
except  Nos.  396  and  400,  are  proofs  given  by  Pretsch 
himself  to  J.  W.  Osborne,  and  several  of  them  bear  his 
signature. 

395.  Portrait  of  a  Gentleman.  From  life.  Apparently  untouched 
by  the  graver. 

396.  Head  of  a  Soldier.  Fragment  of  a  larger  plate,  "  Crimean 
Heroes."  From  a  photograph  from  life.  Worked  over  with  the  rou- 
lette. 

397.  Hatfield  House.    South  front.    From  a  photograph. 

398.  Hatfield  House.  East  front.  From  a  photograph.  The 
sky  aquatinted. 

399.  Richmond  on  Thames.  From  a  photograph.  The  sky 
ruled.    Published  by  the  Photo-Galvanographic  Co.,  1857. 

400.  The  Capture  of  Knight  Kuenringer.  From  a  drawing  by 
J.  P.  N.  Geiger    Published  by  the  Photo-Galvanographic  Co.,  1857. 

4.  E.  Baldus  is  mentioned  by  Niepce  de  St.  Victor,  in 
his  "  Traite  pratique  de  gravure  heliographique  sur  acier  et 
sur  verre,"  Paris  :  1856,  as  using  the  asphaltum  process, 
slightly  modified,  and  etching  his  plates  by  means  of  elec- 
tricity. The  specimens  shown  are  from  Blanquart-Evrard^s 
**La  Photographic,"  Lille:  1869. 

401.  Force.    From  an  engraving  by  Marcantonio. 

402.  Milon  of  Croton.    From  a  marble  group. 

5.  Alphonse  Poitevin, — who  claimed,  and  for  whom  his 
friends  claim,  the  invention  or  the  first  suggestion  of  nearly 
every  photographic  and  photo-mechanical  process  now  in 


74 


CATALOGUE, 


use,  and  who  certainly  was  quite  prolific  in  ideas,  although 
he  developed  but  few  of  them  to  the  stage  of  practical 
utiHty,  —  took  out  a  French  patent,  on  Aug.  27,  1855,  for 
a  swell-gelatine  process,  which  he  called  "  helioplastie." 
The  printing  plate  was  obtained  by  moulding,  casting,  and 
electrotyping,  or  by  electro-deposition  directly  on  the  film. 

403.  Reproduction  of  an  engraving.  Made  about  1855,  and 
published  as  historical  evidence  in  his  "  Traite  de  I'impression  photo- 
graphique  sans  sels  d'argent."  Paris:  1862.  The  page  of  the  book 
opposite  the  engraving,  shown  in  the  exhibition,  gives  an  account  of 
this  process. 

6.  Henri  Garnier  is  credited  v/ith  having  worked  several 
processes,  one  similar  to  the  photo-aquatint  process  (see 
p.  60),  the  other  involving  the  exposure  of  an  iodized  plate, 
amalgamating  with  mercury,  rolling  up  in  fatty  ink,  and 
etching.  In  1867  he  received  the  grand  prize  at  the  Expo- 
sition Universelle  for  his  heliogravure  of  the  "  Chateau  de 
Maintenon.''  The  two  specimens  shown  are  from  Blan- 
quart-Evrard's    La  Photographic,'' Lille  :  1869. 

404.  Reproduction  of  an  old  document. 

405.  Stereoscopic  view.    From  a  photograph. 

7.  F.  Hanfstaengl,  Munich. 

406.  Male  portrait.   From  an  oil  painting  by  N.  Maas. 

8.  E.  Albert,  Munich. 

407.  Rembrandt's  Wife.    From  an  oil  painting  by  Rembrandt. 

408.  Winter  Landscape.  From  an  oil  painting  by  Sal.  van 
Ruysdael. 

409.  Hutten  fighting  French  Noblemen.  From  an  oil  painting 
by  W.  Lindenschmidt. 

410.  Landscape.    From  an  oil  painting  by  Paterson. 

9.  J.  B.  Obernetter,  Munich.  According  to  C.  C. 
Schirm,  as  reported  in  Vogel's  Mittheilungen,''  No.  367, 
p.  49,  ^'  Obernetter's  heliogravure  process  produces  the 
necessary  depressions  in  the  plate  by  causing  a  layer  of 
silver  chloride  to  corrode  it."  From  this  slight  allusion, 
it  is  evident  that  Obernetter's  process  differs  from  all  other 
processes  in  general  practice. 


THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES,  75 


411.  Landscape.  From  an  orthochromatic  negative  (azaline 
process)  from  nature. 

412.  Dog  and  Kennel.    From  an  instantaneous  photograph. 

10.  K.  K.  Militair-geographisches  Institut,  Vienna. 

413.  Venus  nourishing  Cupids.  From  C.  Galle's  engraving, 
after  Rubens. 

414.  Bedouin  Camp.    From  a  drawing  by  L.  C.  Miiller. 

415.  The  Emperor  Maximilian's  Bridal  Procession.  From  a 
drawing  by  W.  Koller. 

416.  At  Cortina  d'Ampezzo.    From  a  watercolor  by  L.  Pasini. 

417.  Christmas.    From  a  drawing  by  G.  Frank,  after  Waldmiiller. 

418.  The  Ford.    From  a  pencil  drawing  by  L.  Richter. 

419.  Italian  Landscape.    From  a  charcoal  drawing  by  L.  Neubert. 

420.  St.  Elizabeth.    From  a  painting  by  Liezen-Mayer. 

421.  Madonna  and  Child  with  Two  Saints.  From  Steinmiiller's 
engraving,  after  Luini. 

11.  R.  Paulussen,  Vienna. 

422.  Charlotte  Wolter.    From  a  bust  by  V.  Tilgner. 

423.  Elizabeth  Waldmiiller.  From  an  oil  painting  by  Waldmiiller. 

424.  Anna  Waldmiiller.    From  an  oil  painting  by  Waldmiiller. 

425.  The  Cycle  of  Life.    From  a  painting  by  J.  Canon. 

426.  Apollo  and  the  Muses.    From  a  painting  by  E.  Charlemont. 

427.  Horses.    From  a  charcoal  study  by  Ad.  Schreyer. 

12.  C.  Klic,  Vienna.  Photo-aquatints.  Although  the 
photo-aquatint  process  (see  p.  60)  dates  back  to  Fox  Tal- 
bot, the  credit  of  having  brought  it  to  its  present  perfection 
is  generally  awarded  to  Klic,  of  Vienna.  Such  plates  have, 
therefore,  been  called  also  "  Klicotypes  "  (Klitschotypes). 

428-432.    The  Five  Senses.    From  paintings  by  Hans  Makart. 

433.  Rock-Tomb  at  Pinara.    From  a  photograph. 

434.  Triumphal  Procession  of  Bacchus  and  Ariadne.  From 
a  relief  by  R.  Weyr. 

13.  C.  Haack,  Vienna. 

435.  Portrait  Study.    From  a  drawing  by  Timoteo  Viti. 

14.  J.  Lowy,  Vienna. 

436.  Portrait  of  F.  Amerling.    From  an  oil  painting  by  himself, 

437.  Head  of  St.  John.    From  an  oil  painting  by  R.  von  Wieser. 


76 


CATALOGUE. 


15.  H.  Riffarth,  Berlin. 

438.  Evening  on  the  Nile.    From  a  painting  by  W.  Gentz. 

439.  Meeting  of  Two  Caravans.    From  a  painting  by  W.  Gentz. 

16.  Photographische  Gesellschaft,  Berlin. 

440.  Family  Group.    From  an  oil  painting  by  Rembrandt. 

441.  The  Alchymist.    From  an  oil  painting  by  D.  Teniers,  Jr. 

17.  Reichsdruckerei,  Berlin. 

442-444.  Studies  by  Raphael.  From  drawings  in  pen  and  ink, 
sanguin,  and  chalk  heightened  with  white. 

18.  G.  Scamoni,  St.  Petersburg.    Scamoni's  process, 
electroheliogravure,"  as  described  by  him  in  his  "  Hand- 

buch  der  Heliographie/'  St.  Petersburg:  1872,  was  first 
conceived  in  1861,  and  made  practically  available  by  about 
1866.  It  can  be  used  for  the  reproduction  of  line-work 
only,  and  is  based  upon  the  fact  that  collodion  negatives, 
and  consequently  also  collodion  positives  on  glass  show  a 
perceptible  relief.  Such  a  positive  from  an  engraving, 
made  with  a  collodion  of  special  quality,  is  so  treated  as 
to  increase  the  relief  of  the  lines  as  much  as  possible,  and 
a  plate  is  then  made  from  it  by  electrodeposition.  Con- 
siderable handwork  is  necessary  to  finish  the  plate. 

445.  Reproduction  of  a  woodcut  after  L.  Richter. 

446.  Reproduction  of  a  line  engraving. 

19.  Annan  &  Swan,  Glasgow.  The  specimens  ex- 
hibited show  considerable  retouching  by  means  of  the 
roulette,  etc. 

447.  Robert  Fulton.    From  a  painting  by  Sharpies. 

448.  Washington's  Mother.    From  a  painting  by  Middleton. 

20.  A.  Dawson,  London. 

449.  450.    Reproductions  of  drawings. 

21.  The  Autotype  Co.,  London. 

451.  Cinderella.  "  Autogravure "  from  a  watercolor  by  G.  G, 
Manton. 

22.  Typographic  Etching  Co.,  London. 

452.  The  Nave,  Westminster  Abbey.  From  a  painting  by  A. 
Dawson, 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES,  77 


23.  Amand-Durand,  Paris.  The  process  used  by 
this  celebrated  reproducer  of  the  works  of  the  old  masters 
of  engraving  is  said  to  be  a  refinement  of  the  asphaltum 
process  of  Niepce  and  Niepce  de  St.  Victor. 

453.  The  Knight  between  Death  and  the  Devil.  From  Diirer's 
engraving. 

454.  The  CHmbers.     From  Marcantonio's  engraving. 

455.  Juno.    From  Rembrandt's  etching. 

24.  Boussod,  Valadon  &  Co.,  Paris.  This  firm 
uses  two  intaglio  processes,  "photo-aquatint''  (see  p.  60), 
and  "  photogravure."  The  latter  is  understood  to  be  a 
deposit  process,  by  which  the  printing  plate  is  produced  by 
means  of  electrodeposition  on  a  Woodbury  wash-out  relief 
charged  with  gritty  matter.  Very  careful  and  thoroughly 
artistic  hand-finishing  adds  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  plates 
issued  by  this  house. 

456.  Pierre  Mignard.  Reduction  of  Schmidt's  engraving  after 
Rigaud. 

457.  Scotch  Bag-Piper.  From  a  pen  drawing  with  washes  by 
Detaille. 

458.  Portrait  of  Madame  Handebout-Lescot.  From  a  pencil 
drawing  by  Ingres. 

459.  An  Open  Air  Toilet.    From  a  painting  by  Luke  Fieldes. 

460.  Portrait  of  a  man  with  a  sword.    From  an  oil  painting. 

461.  Sarah  Bernhardt.    From  hfe. 

25.  The  Heliographic  Engraving  Co..  New  York, 

of  which  F.  von  Egloffstein  was  the  technical  director,  was 
probably  the  first  concern  which  tried  to  introduce  a  pho- 
togravure process  practically  and  on  an  extensive  scale 
into  the  United  States.  As  the  specimens  show,  the  pro- 
cess depends  on  the  use  of  a  lined  screen,  suggested  by 
Talbot  in  1852,  or  a  "spectrum,''  as  Egloffstein  called  it, 
and  translated  even  line  work  (see  the  reproduction  of  the 
Dore  woodcut,  No.  463),  by  breaking  the  continuity  of  the 
lines.  According  to  EglofTstein's  patent  of  Nov.  21,  1865, 
a  plate  coated  with  a  sensitive  heliographic  varnish,"  is 
first  to  be  exposed  under  the  "spectrum,"  and  then  under 
the  negative  (positive).  "Both  images  are  thus  blended 
into  one,  the  spectrum  giving  texture  to  the  photographic 
image.    Then  may  follow  the  ordinary  heliographic  manip- 


78 


CATALOGUE, 


ulations  of  developing  the  picture/'  /.  the  etching  of 
the  plate. 

462.  Announcement  of  the  Heliographic  Engraving  Co.  With  a 
view  of  the  National  Academy  of  Design,  New  York. 

463.  The  Deluge.    From  a  woodcut  after  Dore. 

464.  Portrait  of  a  Gentleman.    From  a  photograph. 

465.  A  Bone.    From  a  photograph. 

466.  A  Piece  of  Machinery.    From  a  photograph. 

26.  Louis  Brown  &  Co.,  Philadelphia,  are  also  to 
be  reckoned  among  the  earlier  photo-engravers  of  the 
United  States,  as  they  were  awarded  a  medal  for  their 
"  autoplates''  by  the  American  Institute  in  1878.  Details 
of  process  unknown. 

467.  Calendar  for  1879. 

27.  Gebbie  &  Husson  Co.,  Lim.,  Philadelphia. 

468.  The  Thistle.    From  a  photograph. 

469.  Diirer's  House.    From  a  drawing? 

28.  The  Photo-Etching  Co.,  Boston. 

470.  The  Old  Crawford  House.    From  a  photograph. 

471.  Diana.    From  a  painting. 

29.  The  N.  Y.  Photogravure  Co.,  New  York.  For 

a  description  of  the  process  employed  and  technically 
illustrated  in  this  exhibition  by  the  N.  Y.  Photogravure 
Co.,  see  pp.  60  and  61. 

472.  Antique  Worship.    From  an  oil  painting  by  V.  Tojetti. 

473.  474.  Illustrations  from  "  Elizabethan  Songs,"  collected  and 
illustrated  by  Edmund  H.  Garrett.  Published  by  Little,  Brown  &  Co. 
From  washed  drawings. 

475.  Girl  Crowned  with  Laurel.    From  a  painting. 

476.  Ponce-de-Leon.    Gateway.    From  a  photograph. 

477.  Ponce-de-Leon.    Ladies'  entrance.    From  a  photograph. 

478.  Landscape.    From  nature. 

479.  Old  Willows  at  Magnolia.    From  nature. 

480.  Lily  Pond.    From  nature. 

481.  Moonlight  on  the  Water.    From  nature. 

482.  The  Walk  in  the  Woods.    From  nature. 

483.  Portrait  of  F.  P.  Vinton.    From  hfe. 

484.  Portrait  of  J.  Appleton  Brown.    From  life. 

485.  Portrait  of  I.  M.  Gaugengigl.    From  life. 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  79 


30.  A.  W.  Elson  &  Co.,  Boston.  For  a  description 
of  the  process  generally  employed  by  Messrs.  A.  W.  Elson 
&  Co.  for  the  rendering  of  half-tone  work,  and  technically 
illustrated  by  them  in  this  exhibition,  see  p.  62.  Another 
method  used  by  them  for  the  same  purpose  is  a  line  pro- 
cess, similar  to  Egloffstein's  (see  Nos.  462-466),  involving 
the  use  of  a  lined  glass  screen  and  two  exposures  of  the 
sensitized  film  on  the  plate,  one  under  the  screen,  and  one 
under  the  half-tone  positive  (see  below,  Nos.  505  and  506). 
They  name  their  plates  photogravures  Gilbo/'  from  Mr, 
Gilbo,  the  technical  director  of  the  firm. 

486,  487.    Reproductions  of  engravings. 

488.  Reproduction  of  an  etching. 

489.  Landscape.    From  a  charcoal  drawing. 

490.  Reproduction  of  a  pencil  sketch. 

491.  Portrait  of  Wm.  Lloyd  Garrison.  From  a  crayon  drawing, 
492-494.    Reproductions  of  washed  drawings. 

495-498.    Landscapes.    From  washed  drawings. 

499.  Portrait  of  Franklin.  From  an  oil  painting  attributed  to 
Greuze. 

500.  Portrait  of  a  Lady.    From  a  black-and-white  oil  painting. 
501-504.    Portraits.      From  life. 

505,  506.    Two  specimens  of  the  line  process  mentioned  above. 

31.  Photo-intaglio  processes  applied  to  color-print- 
ing. The  proofs  here  exhibited,  although  showing  a 
variety  of  colors,  are  each  printed  at  one  impression.  The 
process  is,  in  fact,  a  revival  of  that  used  in  the  17  th  and 
i8th  centuries  (see  Division  A,  Nos.  218-226),  that  is  to 
say,  the  plate  is  charged  with  the  various  colors  of  the 
original,  —  painted  as  it  were,  —  and  such  finishing  touches 
as  are  needed  are  added  upon  the  proof  by  hand.  A 
comparison  of  Nos.  507  and  508  will  make  the  process 
quite  clear. 

507.  Washington  medal.  Printed  in  brown  only.  By  the 
Photogravure  Co.,  Philadelphia. 

508.  Washington  medal.  Printed  from  the  same  plate  as  No. 
507,  but  in  two  colors,  at  one  impression. 

509.  Portrait  from  life,  with  ornamental  border,  printed  in  two 
colors,  at  one  impression.    By  the  N.  Y.  Photogravure  Co. 

510.  Reproduction  of  a  drawing,  printed  in  two  colors,  at  one 
impression.    By  A.  W.  Elson  6^  Co. 

511.  The  Isle  of  Love.  After  Watteau.  Printed  in  colors,  at 
one  impression.  Retouched.  Goupilgravure."  By  Boussod,  Valadon 
^  Co, 


8o 


CATALOGUE. 


512.  Preparing  for  the  Ball.  After  Doucet.  Printed  in  colors, 
at  one  impression.  Retouched.  "  Goupilgravure."  By  Boussod,  Vala- 
don  ^  Co, 

32.  Woodburytype.  See  the  description  of  the  pro- 
cess, p.  63,  and  the  technical  illustrations,  No.  374  a-c. 

513.  A  Mountain-Dew  Girl.  From  life.  A  very  early  specimen, 
made  by  Woodbury  himself,  or  under  his  supervision. . 

514.  Sir  John  Gilbert.  From  life,  '^y  Woodbury  Permanent 
Photographic  Printing  Co.^  London. 

515.  The  Beach  at  Shanklin.  From  nature.  By  the  Woodbury 
Permanent  Photographic  Printirig  Co,,  London, 

516.  The  Fisherman.  From  nature.  By  the  London  Stereo- 
scopic and  Photographic  Co. 

517.  Nothing  in  His  Pockets.  From  a  painting  by  Zamacois. 
By  Goupil  ^  Co,,,  Paris, 

518.  Exposition  Universelle.  1878.  From  a  photograph.  By 
"  Sgap,^''  Paris. 

519.  F.  de  Lesseps.    From  life.    By  Pierre  Patin,  Paris. 

520.  Phcebe  Mayflower.  From  a  painting.  By  the  American 
Photo-Relief  Printing  Co.,  Philadelphia. 

33.  Woodburytype  applied  to  color-printing.  To 

produce  the  effect  of  colored  photographs,  Woodburytypes 
are  printed  on  a  chromolithographic  basis  in  flat  tints.  The 
tints  are  seen  through  the  gelatine  film,  which  latter  supplies 
the  modelling.  The  specimen  here  shown  is  not  a  color- 
print  in  the  true  sense  of  the  word,  the  underprinting 
being  in  gold  and  silver  only,  but  it  suffices  to  illustrate  the 
principle. 

521.  Marguerite  de  Bearn.  From  a  repousse  plaque.  By 
"  Sgap;'  Paris.    (Precede  Vidal.) 


(b.)  Planographic  Processes. 

Photolithography  and  Zincography. 

I.  Zurcher,  Paris.  Process  invented  in  1842,  but 
all  that  is  known  concerning  it  is  that  the  stones  were 
exposed  under  the  prints  to  be  reproduced,  or  in  the 
camera,  the  latter,  apparently,  for  the  production  of  half- 
tone. The  two  prints  here  shown  are  from  Blanquart- 
Evrard's  "La  Photographic,''  Lille  :  1869. 

522,  523.    Reproductions  of  Woodcuts, 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.      8 1 


2.  Lemercier,  Lerebours,  Barreswill  &  Davanne, 

Paris.  Process  invented  in  1852.  A  grained  litho- 
graphic stone  was  coated  with  asphaltum  dissolved  in 
ether,  exposed  under  a  negative,  developed  by  washing  with 
ether,  and  then  treated  with  acid  and  gum,  as  usual. 
The  process  was  abandoned  as  the  stones  gave  but  few 
impressions. 

524.  The  Door  of  a  Romanesque  Church.   From  a  photograph. 

3.  Alphonse  Poitevin.  Process  patented  in  1855. 
A  grained  lithographic  stone  was  covered  with  an  albu- 
minous solution  mixed  with  bichromate  of  potash,  and  ex- 
posed, after  it  had  dried,  under  a  negative.  The  picture 
was  then  developed,  i.  e.^  the  unchanged  albumen  was 
washed  away  with  cold  water,  and  the  stone  treated  with 
acid  and  gum  as  usual.  According  to  one  account,  not 
only  the  white,  but  also  the  yolk  of  the  egg  was  used  in 
preparing  the  stone.  Poitevin  sold  the  process  to  Lemer- 
cier in  1857,  who  worked  it  for  some  time,  but  then  aban- 
doned it. 

525.  Antique  Gems.    From  a  photograph.    By  Poitevin  himself. 

526.  Sculptures  in  the  lunette  of  a  Gothic  church  door. 

From  a  photograph.    By  Lemercier. 

527.  Monument  to  Columbus.  From  a  photograph.  By 
Lemercier. 

4.  Lodowick  H.  Bradford,  Boston  (Cutting  &  Brad- 
ford). Process  patented  in  1858.  A  lithographic  stone, 
grained  for  half-tone  or  polished  for  line  work,  was  sensi- 
tized with  gum  arabic  and  a  little  sugar  mixed  with  bichro- 
mate of  potash,  and  exposed  under  a  positive  or  in  the 
camera.  After  exposure  the  unchanged  gum  was  washed 
away,  leaving  the  stone  exposed  in  those  parts  which  were 
to  take  the  ink.  It  was  then  treated  with  soap  water, 
rolled  up  in  ink,  and  etched.  The  etching  removed  the 
hardened  gum  from  the  exposed  parts. 

528.  Announcement.  1858. 

529.  Portrait  from  life.    Exposed  under  a  positive. 

530.  View  in  Boston.    The  stone  exposed  in  the  camera. 

531.  Statue  of  Franklin.    The  stone  exposed  in  the  camera. 

5.  P.  Gibbons,  who  experimented  in  photolithography 
as  early  as  1859,  tried  various  sensitizing  media,  such  as 


82 


CATALOGUE, 


gelatine  and  bichromate,  varnishes,  and  a  mixture  which 
consisted  of  copal  varnish,  raw  linseed  oil,  bichromate 
of  potash,  Brunswick  black,  mastic  varnish,  and  turpen- 
tine, ground  up  together." 

532.  Pius  IX.  From  a  photograph.  February,  1861.  The  stone, 
when  the  copy  shown  was  printed,  had  already  yielded  two  thousand 
impressions. 

533.  Portrait  of  Andrew  Mactear.    February,  1863. 

6.  E.  I.  Asser,  Amsterdam.  Process  invented  1859, 
patented  in  England  in  i860.  A  sheet  of  paper,  unsized, 
or  slightly  sized  with  starch,  was  sensitized  with  bichro- 
mate of  potash,  and  exposed  under  an  ordinary  negative. 
It  was  then  washed,  to  remove  the  unaltered  bichromate, 
dried  and  heated,  then  again  moistened,  rolled  up  in 
transfer  ink,  and  a  transfer  made  to  stone,  which  was 
treated  with  acid  and  gum,  as  usual.  Like  all  these  early 
processes,  although  some  fine  things  were  produced  by  it, 
Asser's  process  never  gave  results  of  commercial  value. 
It  was  worked  for  a  while  by  Wm.  Toovey  and  Simoneau 
&  Toovey. 

534.  Seal.    1862.    From  a  photograph. 

535.  Church  of  St.  John,  Brussels.    From  a  photograph.  By 

Simoneau  &  Toovey. 

536.  Palais  de  la  Nation,  Brussels.  From  a  photograph.  By 
Simoneau  &  Toovey. 

7.  Wm.  Toovey,  Brussels.  The  process  subse- 
quently patented  by  Toovey  was  first  suggested  in  186 1  by 
Hannaford,  of  London.  A  sheet  of  paper  was  prepared 
with  bichromate  of  potash  and  gum  arabic,  exposed  under 
a  negative,  moistened,  laid  down  on  a  lithographic  stone, 
and  pulled  through  the  press  without  previous  inking.  The 
theory  was  that  the  unaltered  gum  would  adhere  to  the 
stone  and  protect  it  from  the  ink  in  the  rolling  up  which 
followed,  while  those  parts  of  the  stone  corresponding  to 
the  altered  gum,  would  accept  the  ink.  The  stone  might 
then  be  etched  as  usual.  The  process  is  ingenious,  but 
never  gave  really  practical  results. 

537.  Henricus  Blesius  Bovinatus.    From  an  engraving. 


D,    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  83 


8.  John  Walter  Osborne.  Line  transfer  process, 
invented  at  Melbourne  in  1859,  introduced  into  the  United 
States  in  1866,  when  the  American  Photolithographic  Co. 
was  organized  in  New  York.  Known  as  "Osborne's 
Process."  See  the  description,  p.  64,  and  the  technical 
illustrations,  Nos.  375  a-g,  furnished  by  the  N.  Y.  Photo- 
gravure Co. 

538.  The  Golden  Eagle.  Reproduction  of  a  woodcut.  Early 
specimen  made  in  Melbourne  in  1859. 

539-541.  Three  Views  in  Japan.  From  pen-and-ink  drawings. 
Made  in  Berlin  about  1861-62,  for  a  work  on  Japan  published  by  the 
Prussian  government. 

542.  Portrait  of  a  Man,  made  in  Berlin  about  1861-62,  under  an 
artificial  negative  (so-called  "  etching  on  glass  "). 

543.  A  page  of  the  American  Agriculturalist.  Reduced.  First 
specimen  made  in  America,  Dec.  14,  1866. 

544.  Reproduction  of  a  wood-cut  after  Dore. 

545.  Extreme  reduction  of  a  wood-cut  after  Dore. 
546-548.    Reproductions  of  engravings. 

549.  Enlargement  of  an  engraving. 

9.  Sir  Henry  James.  Photozincographic  line  transfer 
process,  similar  to  Osborne's  process,  and  invented  at  the 
same  time.  James,  however,  experimented  also  with  the 
production  of  grain,  as  shown  by  No.  551. 

550.  The  Transfiguration.  Reduction  of  an  engraving.  From 
Col.  James's  book  on  photozincography,  pubHshed  in  1862. 

551.  Theodolite  Wagon.  Photozincograph  in  grain,  from  nature. 

10.  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.,  Boston,  line  work, 
"  Osborne's  Process.'' 

552.  Reproduction  of  an  etching. 
553-555.    Reproductions  of  drawings. 

11.  Sprague  &  Co.,  London.  "Ink-Photos."  A 
photolithographic  half-tone  process  in  which  the  reticula- 
tion of  the  gelatine  is  used  for  the  production  of  the  grain. 

556-563.  Eight  views,  portraits,  etc.,  from  photographs  from 
nature. 

12.  James  Ackerman,  London.  Photo-tint."  Evi- 
dently a  process  similar  to  that  used  in  the  production  of 
Sprague  &  Co.'s  "ink-photos." 

564.    CoUeoni's  Monument,  at  Venice.    From  a  photograph. 


84 


CATALOGUE. 


13.  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.,  Boston,  grain 
work.  Transfers  to  stone  from  gelatine  printing  surfaces, 
exposed  under  negatives,  and  so  treated  that  the  gelatine 
assumes  a  reticulation  or  grain  in  proportion  to  the  amount 
of  light  that  has  acted  upon  it. 

565-566.  Two  sheets,  with  four  reproductions  of  photographs 
and  drawings. 

14.  J.  Bartos,  Bohemia.  Bartostype."  A  stone  or 
a  zinc  plate  is  coated  with  a  varnish  made  of  asphaltum 
and  mastic.  Upon  the  stone  or  plate  so  prepared  a  gela- 
tine wash-out  relief,  made  by  the  pigment-printing  process, 
is  mounted  and  treated  with  a  mixture  of  glycerin  and 
water  in  which  a  small  quantity  of  alum  has  been  dis- 
solved. This  relief  is  exposed  to  the  sandblast,  which 
destroys  it,  at  first  in  its  thinnest  part  and  gradually  also 
in  its  thicker  parts.  The  destruction  of  the  gelatine  film 
lays  bare  the  varnish,  and  allows  the  sandblast  to  act 
upon  it  in  proportion  to  the  gradations  of  the  original  from 
which  the  relief  film  was  made.  The  result  is  a  picture 
on  the  stone  or  plate  in  which  the  darks  are  represented 
by  the  varnish,  the  lights  by  the  bare  stone  from  which 
the  varnish  has  been  removed  by  the  sandblast,  and  the 
gradations  between  the  two  extremes  by  the  varnish  more 
or  less  perforated  by  the  blast.  The  stone  or  plate  is  now 
gummed,  and  after  the  varnish  has  been  removed  with 
turpentine,  it  is  rolled  up,  and  otherwise  treated  like  a 
lithographic  transfer. 

567.  Landscape,  from  nature.  Bartostype  on  zinc.  An  iris  tint 
has  been  added  by  a  separate  printing. 

15.  Photolithography  applied  to  color-printing. 

Two  methods  of  utilizing  photolithography  (and  zincog- 
raphy) for  color-printing  are  illustrated  here.  The  first,  of 
which  No.  568  is  a  specimen,  is  merely  a  combination  of 
ordinary  chromolithography  with  photolithography,  /. 
the  requisite  colors  are  printed  from  stones  prepared  by  an 
artist,  and  upon  this  underprinting  a  photolithograph  is 
printed.  In  the  second  a  negative  is  made  from  the 
drawing,  painting,  object,  etc.,  to  be  reproduced,  and  with 
this  a  photolithograph  is  prepared  by  any  of  the  methods 


D,    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  85 


described  above.  The  negative  serves  the  artist  as  a 
guide  or  key  for  making  his  colorstones,  the  combination 
of  which  is  left  entirely  to  his  judgment.  Or  separate 
negatives  may  be  made  for  each  color,  these  negatives 
being  worked  upon  by  stopping  out  such  parts  as  are  not 
wanted  and  retouching  others  that  need  strengthening. 
From  each  of  these  negatives  a  photolithograph  is  made, 
and  the  picture  results  from  the  combined  printings. 

568.    Osborne's  Process.    A  photolithograph  from  a  drawing,  on 

a  chromolithograph  basis. 

569-571.  Heliotype  Printing  Co.  "  Aquarelletypes."  Three 
monochromes  from  washed  drawings,  each  printed  from  three  stones, 
prepared  by  the  same  method  as  Nos.  565  and  566. 

572-575.  Heliotype  Printing  Co.  "  Aquarelletypes."  Four  re- 
productions of  water-color  paintings.  No.  572,  Six  Views  in  Venice," 
after  Rhoda  Holmes  Nichols,  printed  from  5  to  9  stones;  No.  573, 
"The  Giralda,"  after  Hoppin,  5  stones;  No.  574,  "Scene  in  Holland," 
after  F.  Hopkinson  Smith,  7  stones;  No.  575,  "  Scene  in  Holland," 
after  H.  W.  Rice,  5  stones.  The  stones  prepared  by  the  same  method 
as  Nos.  565  and  566. 

576.  Wezel  &  Naumann,  Leipzig.  Marine.  Photo-chromo- 
zincograph,  made  from  one  negative.    Printed  in  eighteen  colors. 

577>  578-  H.  Dorn,  Leipzig.  Two  landscapes.  Ingram's  Proc- 
ess.   See  No.  57Q. 

579.  L.  Prang  &  Co.,  Boston.  "Prang's  Photochromatic  Proc- 
ess Prints."  Japanese  vessels  from  the  Morse  Collection.  Ingram's 
process.  (See  Nos.  577  and  578.)  "The  printing  design  on  the  stone 
is  developed  from  asphaltum  exposed  to  light  under  a  negative  taken 
from  the  original  objects  represented."  A  set  of  progressive  proofs 
from  nine  stones. 


COLLOGRAPHIC  PROCESSES. 

The  collographic  processes  have  suffered  more  than  any 
others  from  the  mania  for  high-sounding  nam  's.  The 
prints  resulting  from  them  have  been  dubbed  gelatine 
prints  —  which,  being  English  and  simplest,  would  be  bet- 
ter even  than  collographs  or  collotypes  —  phototypes,  helio- 
types,  albertypes,  autotypes,  indotints,  photophanes,  glyp- 
tographs,  and,  worse  than  all,  photogravures,  this  latter  in 
the  attempt  to  make  them  pass  for  what  they  are  not,  /. 
prints  from  intaglio  plates.  The  beauty  of  the  results 
here  shown  makes  it  evident  that  such  deception  is  wholly 
unnecessary.   See  the  technical  illustrations,  Nos.  376-378. 


86 


CATALOGUE. 


16.  E.  Albert,  Munich. 

580.  The  Story  of  the  Seven  Ravens  and  the  Faithful  Sister. 

From  water  color  drawings  by  Moritz  von  Schwind.  One  of  Albert's 
earlier  publications. 

17.  Albert  Frisch,  Berlin. 

581.  Four  portrait  studies.  From  pencil  drawings  by  A.  von 
Werner. 

18.  E.  Bierstadt,  New  York. 

582.  Landscape,  from  nature,  reproduced  twice,  from  a  common 
dry  plate  negative  and  from  an  orthochromatic  negative  made  through 
an  aurantia  screen. 

583.  Oil  painting.    Two  reproductions,  the  same  as  No.  582. 

19.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 

584-586.  Three  specimens,  from  charcoal  drawings.  No.  585  is 
heightened  with  white  by  hand. 

587-591.  Five  specimens,  from  drawings  in  crayon,  pen-and-ink, 
etc. 

592-599.  Eight  specimens,  from  watercolors  and  oil  paintings. 

600-605.  Six  specimens,  from  nature  and  plastic  objects. 

606,  607.  Two  specimens,  portraits  from  life. 

20.  F.  Gutekunst,  Philadelphia. 

608-614.    Seven  specimens,  from  paintings. 

615.  One  specimen,  from  a  Chinese  bronze. 

616,  617.    Two  specimens,  from  vessels  in  motion. 

618-622.    Five  specimens,  four  portraits  and  one  group  from  life. 

21.  The  Gravure-Etching  Co.,  Boston. 

623-629.  Seven  specimens,  from  paintings  by  M.  F.  H.  de  Haas, 
T.  Moran,  J.  G.  Brown,  L.  Lhermitte,  J.  Wells  Champney,  J.  J.  Enne- 
king,  and  M.  Theiry. 

22.  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.,  Boston. 

630-632.  Three  specimens,  from  engravings. 

633-635.  Three  specimens,  from  charcoal  drawings. 

636-638.  Three  specimens,  from  oil  paintings. 

639-644.  Six  specimens,  from  buildings. 

23.  The  Collographic  Processes  applied  to  color- 
printing.  Four  possibilities  for  utilizing  the  collographic 
processes  for  color-printing  are  illustrated  here:  (i.)  As 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  87 


the  gelatine  film  is  rolled  up  for  printing  with  two  inks,  a 
stronger  and  a  weaker,  supplied  by  two  rollers,  this  pecul- 
iarity may  be  employed  to  produce  prints  with  a  tint  at 
one  impression.  The  stronger  ink  in  that  case  is  black 
(or  brown,  etc.),  the  weaker  is  of  the  color  of  the  tint 
wanted.  See  Nos.  645-647. —  (2.)  A  collographic  im- 
pression may  be  printed  on  a  chromolithographic  basis 
in  flat  tints.  See  Nos.  648-653.  —  (3.)  A  collographic 
impression  from  a  negative  from  the  painting  or  other 
original  to  be  reproduced  may  be  combined  with  other 
impressions  of  the  same  kind,  one  for  each  color  needed. 
The  negatives  for  the  films  to  be  used  for  these  impressions 
may  be  made  from  partial  drawings  executed  on  paper  by 
an  artist,  like  the  drawings  on  stones  for  chromolithographs, 
or  a  separate  negative  may  be  made  for  each  color,  and  the 
parts  not  wanted  stopped  out,  while  other  parts  may  be 
strengthened  by  retouching.  See  Nos.  654-656.  —  (4.) 
The  three-color  theory  may  be  employed  with  the  aid  of 
orthochromatic  plates,  one  negative  so  treated  that  it  is 
acted  upon  by  all  the  rays  except  the  blue,  a  second  by 
all  the  rays  except  the  yellow,  a  third  by  all  the  rays  except 
the  red.  From  these  three  negatives  three  printing  films 
are  made,  and  impressions  from  these,  in  blue,  yellow,  and 
red,  are  printed  on  top  of  one  another,  so  that  the  three 
together  produce  the  completed  picture.  To  these  three 
printings  may  be  added  a  fourth,  in  black  or  brown,  to 
strengthen  the  modelling.    See  Nos.  657-662. 

645-647.  Forbes  Lithograph  Manufacturing  Co.  Three  spec- 
imens, one  from  a  drawing,  two  from  prints,  in  black  and  a  tint,  printed 
at  one  impression. 

648-653.  The  Heliotype  Printing  Co.  "  Heliochromes."  Six 
specimens,  from  buildings.  Gelatine  prints  on  a  chromolithographic 
basis. 

654.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.  One  specimen,  from  silver  spoons. 
Five  printings,  the  printing  films  for  the  tints  made  under  negatives 
stopped  out  in  the  parts  not  wanted. 

655-  J.  Lowy,  Vienna.  One  specimen,  from  an  oil-painting. 
This  is  a  combination  of  photolithography  and  gelatine  printing.  Three 
stones,  one  for  red,  one  for  yellow,  and  one  for  blue,  were  made  by 
means  of  three  negatives  stopped  out  accordingly,  and  to  the  combined 
impressions  thus  obtained  were  added  several  impressions  from  gelatine 
printing  films  for  the  rendering  of  the  more  delicate  hues.  The  appear- 
ance of  brush  touches  is  due  to  embossing. 


88 


CATALOGUE, 


656.  Meissner  &  Buch,  Leipzig.  Marine.  From  a  water- 
color. 

657.  E-  Albert,  Munich.  Three  proofs  from  three  gelatine  print- 
ing films,  produced  under  negatives  made  with  selective  color-screens, 
as  explained  above,  and  intended  to  be  printed  on  top  of  one  another. 
The  impression  from  the  red  plate  is,  however,  printed  in  black.  As 
Albert  was  one  of  the  first  to  apply  the  three-color  theory  to  gelatine 
printing,  specimens  of  his  work  are  particularly  interesting. 

658.  658a.  E.  Albert,  Munich.  Two  landscapes  from  paintings, 
each  printed  in  red,  blue,  and  yellow,  as  above.  The  smaller  of  the  two 
was  published  in  1878.  The  larger  is  out  of  register,  and  printed  too 
strong  in  the  red. 

659.  E.  Bierstadt,  New  York.  "  Chromatotype."  From  an  oil 
painting.  Four  printings,  blue,  yellow,  red,  and  black.  Negatives  made 
through  selective  color-screens,  as  explained  above. 

660.  E.  Bierstadt,  Nev7  York.  "Chromatotype."  From  a  water- 
color.  Three  printings,  blue,  yellow,  and  red.  Negatives  as  under  No. 
659.    No  retouching  on  either  negatives  or  prints. 

661.  662.  E.  Bierstadt,  New  York.  "Chromatotype."  Two 
attempts  at  portraiture  from  life.  Four  printings,  biue,  yellow,  red,  and 
black.    Four  negatives  at  one  sitting,  made  as  under  No.  659. 


(c.)    RELIEF  PROCESSES. 

In  frame  97  are  grouped  together  some  specimens  by 
early  workers  in  Europe  and  in  America,  regardless  of 
methods  used  or  results  reached.  The  other  specimens 
are  classified  as  reproductions  of  Work  in  lines,  dots,  etc., 
that  is  to  say  from  originals  such  as  pen  drawings,  pencil 
drawings,  process  drawings  (see  Division  E),  engravings, 
etc.,  which  present  lines  or  dots  or  an  irregular  grain  on  a 
light  ground.  Half-tone  in  grain,  that  is  to  say,  reproduc- 
tions of  half-tone  originals  by  processes  in  which  no  screens 
are  used,  Sa  een  Processes,  and  Stipple  Processes,  which  latter 
involve  the  breaking  up  of  the  flat  and  gradated  tints  of 
the  original  by  mechanical  means.  Husnik's  "  gluetype  " 
is  placed  by  itself  after  these  processes,  by  reason  of  the 
material  used  for  the  printing  form.  The  appHcation  of 
the  relief-processes  to  color-printing  concludes  the  division. 

I.  Paul  Pretsch,  London.  Pretsch's  relief  process 
is  based  on  the  same  principle  as  his  intaglio  process  (see 
p.  73),  and  covered  by  the  same  patent  of  1854.  All 
the  specimens  here  shown  were  given  by  Pretsch  himself 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  89 


to  Mr.  J.  W.  Osborne,  and  the  writing  on  No.  663,  which 
is  probably  the  earliest  of  the  four,  is  also  by  him.  It 
will  be  seen  that  it  is  distinctly  claimed  that  the  blocks 
from  which  these  impressions  were  printed  are  absolutely 
untouched  by  the  graver." 

663.  Reliquary.    From  a  photograph  from  the  object. 

664.  The  Village  of  Rivabellosa.  From  a  photograph  from 
nature. 

665.  Pope's  Villa  on  the  Thames.  From  a  photograph  from 
nature. 

666.  Scene  in  Gaeta  after  the  Explosion.  From  a  photograph 
from  nature. 

2.  Henri  Garnier,  Paris.     See  Nos.  404  and  405. 

The  specimens  here  shown  are  from  Blanquart-Evrard's 
"  La  Photographic,"  Lille  :  1869. 

667.  Plafond  du  Louvre.    From  an  engraving  in  line. 

668.  Vue  du  Baptistere  Louis  XIII.    From  a  photograph. 

3.  Eduard  Heidenhaus.  "  Photographotype."  De- 
tails of  process  not  known. 

66g.    Portrait  of  Ingres.    From  an  etching  by  Masson.  1867. 

4.  Charles  Henry,  New  York.  Henry's  process  was 
a  transfer  line  process.  The  original  was  copied  on  photo- 
lithographic transfer  paper,  by  Osborne's  process  (see  p. 
64),  transferred  to  zinc,  and  then  etched  into  relief. 

670.  Reproduction  of  a  woodcut,  with  Henry's  announcement, 
1868. 

671.  Reproduction  of  a  woodcut  after  Dore.  1868. 

5.  The  Actinic  Engraving  Co.,  New  York.  Details 
of  process  unknown. 

672.  Melanchthon.    From  Diirer's  engraving.  1871. 

WORK  IN  LINES,  DOTS,  ETC. 

6.  The  Moss  Engraving  Co.,  New  York.  Swell- 
gelatine  process.    See  No.  383. 

673.  Six  specimens,  from  drawings,  engravings,  and  lace. 

674.  Ten  specimens,  from  charcoal,  crayon,  and  pencil  drawings. 


90 


CATALOGUE, 


7.  The  Photo-Engraving  Co.,  New  York.  Etching 
process. 

675.  Three  specimens,  from  drawings  in  lines. 

8.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston.  Etching  pro- 
cess.   See  No.  379. 

676.  Nine  specimens,  from  drawings  in  lines  and  on  grained 
paper. 

9.  Crosscup  &  West,  Philadelphia.  Etching  pro- 
cess. 

677.  Three  specimens,  from  drawing  on  grained  paper,  from 
wood-engraving,  and  from  lace. 

10.  The  C.  L.  Wright  Gravure  Co.,  New  York. 

Etching  process. 

678.  Six  specimens,  from  pencil  drawings.  The  impressions 
shown,  on  Japan  paper,  were  printed  on  the  steam  press  for  Messrs. 
Bates,  Kimball  &  Guild. 

HALF-TONE  IN  GRAIN. 

11.  Pennington  &  Co.,  Philadelphia.  These  speci- 
mens are  interesting  as  representing  a  rather  early,  al- 
though not  very  successful,  attempt  to  produce  work  of 
this  kind  in  the  U.  S.    Details  of  process  not  known. 

679.  Four  specimens,  from  photographs  from  nature. 

12.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston.  "Mezzo- 
types."    See  Nos.  381  and  382. 

680.  Five  specimens,  four  from  architectural  subjects,  one  from  a 
drawing. 

13.  French  Work.  Probably  photo-aquatint  in  relief 
("  mezzotype,"  see  Nos.  381  and  382)  of  a  very  fine  grain. 

681.  From  a  painting.  From  "  Salon  lUustre.  Societe  des  Artistes 
Franfais."    Paris:  1890. 

SCREEN  PROCESSES. 

14.  Moritz  and  Max  Jaffe,  Vienna.  Patented  in 
Austria,  March  i,  1877.  To  break  up  the  fiat  tints  and 
gradations  of  the  original,  bolting  cloth  was  placed  before 


D.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES.  91 


the  sensitive  plate  in  the  camera,  or  inserted  between  an 
ordinary  negative  and  the  sensitized  plale  on  which  the 
engraving  was  to  be  made. 

682.  Portrait.  From  life.  Published  in  Eder's  "Jahrbuch,"  from 
a  block  made  in  1877. 

15.  Meisenbach,  Munich.  Process  patented  in  1882. 
The  descriptions  given  of  the  manner  in  which  the  screen 
is  used  in  the  Meisenbach  process  vary,  and  it  is  quite 
likely  that  changes  have  been  introduced  since  it  was  first 
made  known.  The  present  method  seems  to  be  to  place  a 
screen  ruled  with  diagonal  lines  (not  cross-lined)  at  a 
slight  distance  before  the  sensitized  plate  in  the  camera, 
and,  after  a  short  exposure,  to  turn  the  screen,  or  rather 
to  substitute  another  for  it,  so  that  the  lines  on  it  run  in 
the  opposite  direction,  and  to  expose  the  plate  a  second 
time. 

683.  Portrait.  From  life.  Block  made  by  the  etching  process. 
From  an  announcement  issued  by  the  Meisenbach  Co.,  London,  in  1885. 

16.  Boussod,  Valadon  &  Co.,  Paris. 

684.  Dogs.    From  a  painting  by  De  Penne. 

17.  Schweizer  Autotyp-Anstalt,  Winterthur.  On 

the  dry  plates  used,  and  sold  to  others,  by  this  firm  for  the 
making  of  half-tone  negatives  for  relief-blocks,  a  screen, 
either  cross-lined  or  in  grain,  is  developed  by  the  usual 
photographic  methods,  and  over  this  is  laid  another  sensi- 
tive film,  on  which,  by  a  subsequent  exposure,  the  picture, 
scene,  etc.,  to  be  made  into  a  relief  block,  is  photographed. 
The  result  is  a  "  half-tone  "  negative,  which  can  be  used 
like  those  made  by  the  other  screen  processes  previously 
described.  In  this  case,  however,  the  screen,  instead  of 
being  before  and  at  a  slight  distance  from  the  sensitive 
plate,  is  behind  and  in  intimate  contact  with  it. 

685  Sample  sheet,  showing  the  various  grades  of  grained  and 
cross-lined  screen  dry  plates  made  by  this  firm. 

686.  Two  specimens,  from  a  painting  and  from  nature,  made  with 
the  ^rrt;z;zi^^/ wSwiss  screen  dry  plates. 

687.  Two  specimens,  from  nature  and  from  life,  made  with  the 
cross-lined  Swiss  screen  dry  plates. 


92 


CATALOGUE, 


18.  The  Moss  Engraving  Co.,  New  York.  "Moss- 
types." 

688.  Six  specimens,  from  paintings  and  washed  drawings. 

689.  Nine  specimens,  from  nature  and  from  life. 

19.  Photo-Engraving  Co.,  New  York. 

690.  Five  specimens,  two  from  engravings,  one  from  a  painting, 
two  from  nature. 

20.  The   Boston  Engraving  Co.,  Boston.  See 

No.  380. 

691.  Eight  specimens,  one  from  an  engraving,  one  from  a  washed 
drawing,  six  from  nature. 

21.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston.  See  Nos. 
386-388. 

692.  Seven  specimens,  six  from  nature,  one  from  a  bust. 

693.  Six  specimens,  from  nature. 

694.  Seven  specimens,  six  from  nature,  one  from  a  painting. 

695.  Three  specimens,  two  from  nature,  one  from  a  painting. 

22.  M.  Wolfe,  Dayton,  O.    See  No.  385. 

696.  Eight  specimens,  from  nature.  All  made  with  cross-line 
plates  or  screens  similar  to  the  one  shown  (No.  385<^),  except  the  last, 
which  was  made  according  to  Meisenbach's  method,  that  is  to  say,  with 
diagonally  lined  screens,  turned,  at  two  exposures. 

23.  The  John  Andrew  &  Son  Co.,  Boston.  See 

the  frame  hung  on  the  wall,  over  case  106. 

697.  Nine  specimens  from  washed  drawings  and  from  nature. 

24.  Crosscup  &  West,  Philadelphia.  "  Ives  Proc- 
ess." This  is  a  screen  process  similar  to  those  illustrated 
under  Nos.  385-388,  and  must  not  be  confounded  with  the 
earlier  process  of  the  same  name,  for  which  see  No.  703. 

698.  Eight  specimens  from  paintings  and  washed  drawings. 

699.  Six  specimens,  views  from  nature. 

700.  Three  specimens,  two  from  sculpture,  one  from  machinery. 

701.  Seven  specimens,  portraits  and  groups. 

702.  Seven  specimens,  from  insects,  etc. 


Z>.    THE  PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESSES,  93 


STIPPLE  PROCESSES. 

In  these  processes  the  property  of  gelatine  in  its  natural 
state  to  absorb  water  and  to  swell  up  in  consequence,  and 
the  fact  that  it  loses  this  property,  if  it  is  mixed  with  a 
bichromate  and  exposed  to  light,  in  exact  proportion  to 
the  amount  of  light  that  has  acted  upon  it,  is  utilized.  A 
swell-gelatine  relief  is  made  under  a  negative,  and  from 
this  relief  a  cast  in  plaster  of  Paris.  The  gelatine  relief 
was  lowest  in  the  parts  corresponding  to  the  darks,  and 
highest  in  those  corresponding  to  the  lights  of  the  picture. 
The  cast,  on  the  contrary,  is  highest  in  the  darks  and  low- 
est in  the  lights.  Such  a  cast,  or  rather  mould,  is  exhibited 
under  No.  368.  Against  it  is  pressed  a  gelatine  film  on  a 
glass  plate,  which  has  been  cut  up  into  lines,  or  into  dots 
by  cross-lines,  and  has  been  charged  on  the  surface  of  the 
lines  or  dots  with  printing  ink.  As  this  film  comes  into 
contact  with  the  cast,  the  lines  or  dots,  being  elastic,  are 
compressed  in  proportion  to  the  height  of  the  relief,  and 
therefore  produce  on  it  larger  and  smaller  black  dots,  while 
in  the  deepest  parts,  where  the  lines  or  dots  cannot  reach, 
the  cast  remains  white.  The  result  is  that  the  white  relief 
is  covered  with  black  dots  which  are  largest  in  those  parts 
of  it  corresponding  to  the  blacks  of  the  design,  and  grad- 
ually decrease  in  size  as  the  gradations  of  the  original 
approach  white.  From  the  cast  so  stippled,  a  black  and 
white  negative  is  made,  which  is  used  exactly  as  a  negative 
made  with  a  screen  process  would  be  used.  This  is  the 
original  "  Ives  Process,*'  illustrated  by  the  specimens  here 
shown,  under  No.  703.  It  gave  excellent  results,  as  the 
specimens  in  question  show,  but  it  has  been  superseded  by 
the  screen  processes.  A  similar  process  was  invented  by 
Petit,  of  France.  He  blackened  a  plaster  cast  from  a 
swelled  gelatine  relief  all  over,  and  cut  through  its  surface 
in  parallel  or  crossing  lines  by  a  V-shaped  point,  travelling 
always  in  the  same  plane.  The  point  cut  a  wider  line  in 
the  highest  parts  of  the  blackened  relief  and  therefore 
removed  more  of  the  black,  whereas  the  lines  grew  nar- 
rower as  the  relief  subsided,  and  solid  blacks  were  left  in 
its  deepest  parts,  to  which  the  point  did  not  reach.    It  is 


94 


CATALOGUE, 


evident  from  this,  that  Petit  must  have  made  his  relief 
under  a  positive,  or  else  must  have  made  a  true  cast  from 
the  mould  first  obtained  from  the  relief. 

25.  Crosscup  &  West,  Philadelphia.  The  original 
"  Ives  Process." 

703.    Twelve  specimens,  from  drawings,  paintings,  and  nature. 


26.  Husnik's  Gluetype.''  A  wash-out  process,  sim- 
ilar to  that  illustrated  under  No.  384,  which  produces 
printing  blocks  made  of  hardened  gelatine.  These  blocks 
are  said  to  be  very  durable  and  able  to  stand  long  editions. 

704.  Three  specimens,  printed  from  gluetype  blocks  made  accord- 
ing to  Husnik's  patent. 

RELIEF  PROCESSES  APPLIED  TO  COLOR-PRINTING. 

See  the  technical  illustrations,  Nos.  389  and  390  (p. 
71). 

27.  German  work. 

705.  Six  reproductions  of  chiaroscuros  of  the  i6th  and  17th  cen- 
tury. From  Hirth  &  Muther's  "  Meisterholzschnitte  aus  vier  Jahrhun- 
derten." 

28.  The  Art  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 

706.  Nine  specimens,  by  screen  process  and  in  mezzotype,  from 
watercolor  drawings  and  paintings.    Two  to  four  printings. 

29.  George  L.  Cowee,  Boston. 

707.  Two  specimens,  from  watercolor  drawings. 

30.  W.  Kurtz,  New  York.  The  blocks,  from  which 
the  proofs  shown  were  printed,  were  etched  on  zinc  pre- 
pared with  asphaltum,  exposed  under  negatives  made  by 
the  Meisenbach  process. 

708.  Wild  Boars,  from  an  etching  after  Rosa  Bonheur.  Two 
printings.  Impressions  of  each  of  the  two  blocks  used,  printed  in  black, 
are  also  shown. 

709.  Monkeys.    From  an  oil  painting.    Two  printings. 


E,    PHOTO-MECHANICAL  PROCESS  WORK.  95 


710.  Eight  specimens,  reproductions  of  washed  drawings.  Two 
printings. 

711.  From  a  watercolor  by  CorelU.    Printed  in  colors. 

31.  Boussod,  Valadon  &  Co.,  Paris.  "Chromo- 
typogravures." 

712.  Going  to  School.    After  Bouguereau.    Two  printings. 

713.  The  Gallant  Abbe.    From  a   watercolor  by  Rossi.  Six 

printings, 

714.  En  Foret.  —  La  Balangoire.  —  Les  Derniers  Retranche- 
ments.  — Three  plates  from  the  "  Figaro  lUustre."    Printed  in  colors. 

715.  Figaro  lUustre,  with  the  design  for  the  cover  (printed  in 
six  colors) ,  to  show  application  to  newspaper  work. 

716.  Bringing  up  the  Guns.  From  an  oil  painting  by  Gilbert 
Gaul.    Printed  in  colors. 

32.  "  Sgap,"  Paris.  Photochromotypographie/' 

717.  A  Rug.    Printed  in  colors. 

33.  C.  Angerer  &  Goschl,  Vienna. 

718.  Landscape.    Chiaroscuro  in  four  printings. 

34.  Autotypie-Compagnie,  Munich.  Meisenbach 
process. 

719.  Oil  Sketch  after  Kotschenreiter.    Four  printings. 


E.    DRAWING  FOR  PHOTO-MECHANICAL 
PROCESS  WORK. 

The  necessity  for  a  special  kind  of  work,  known  as 
"process  drawing,"  arose  out  of  the  fact  that  the  photo- 
mechanical relief  processes  used  for  the  reproduction  of  line 
work  or  of  work  in  dots,  must  have  originals,  if  success  is 
to  be  assured,  which  are  absolutely  black  in  all  their  parts, 
without  any  admixture  of  grays.  Some  of  the  reproduc- 
tions shown  in  this  exhibition  (see  No.  674  and  678,  for 
instance)  make  it  evident,  indeed,  that  excellent  results 
can  be  gotten  even  from  pencil  drawings,  but  while  these 
will  do  for  thoroughly  artistic  work,  and  where  a  sugges- 
tion is  sufficient,  the  nicety  of  execution  and  clearness  of 


g6 


CATALOGUE. 


Statement  more  generally  demanded  cannot  be  attained 
unless  the  originals  to  be  reproduced  accommodate  them- 
selves to  the  exigencies  of  the  reproducing  agency.  In 
the  light  of  the  explanations  given  on  the  preceding  pages, 
it  will  not  be  difficult  to  understand  these  exigencies.  A 
negative,  to  give  good  results  for  relief  work  with  either 
the  etching,  the  swell-gelatine,  or  the  wash-out  process, 
must  be  simply  black  and  white,  that  is  to  say,  it  must 
present  perfectly  clear  glass  in  those  parts  which  corres- 
pond to  the  lines  of  the  design,  and  it  must  be  absolutely 
black  and  dense  in  those  which  represent  the  whites 
between  the  lines.  (For  such  negatives,  see  Nos.  323, 
375^,  379^,  380^,  383^^,  and  384^^.)  Gray  lines,  however, 
can  produce  neither  perfectly  clear  glass,  nor  perfect 
density.  They  will  be  represented  in  the  negative  by 
something  between  these  extremes,  that  is  to  say,  by  a 
thinner  deposit,  which  will  neither  cut  off  all  the  light, 
nor  allow  all  of  it  to  pass.  The  result,  in  such  a  case, 
must  necessarily  be  one  of  three  things :  such  gray  lines 
will  fail  altogether  in  the  reproduction,  or  they  will  be 
rotten,  or,  if  they  come  up  black  and  solid,  they  will  be 
too  heavy.  In  either  case,  the  effect  will  be  marred,  and 
such  beauty  as  the  original  may  have  had  will  be  lost  in 
the  reproduction.  The  first  consideration,  therefore, 
which  the  process  draughtsman  must  keep  constantly  in 
mind,  is  that  all  the  lines  of  his  drawing  must  be  abso- 
lutely black,  and  that  all  gradations  must  be  produced  by 
difference  in  width  of  line  and  difference  in  spacing. 
Several  drawings  of  this  kind  are  to  be  found  in  this  ex- 
hibition, besides  the  one  shown  in  the  present  division 
(No.  725).  Of  these,  Nos.  379^  and  380^  are  free-hand 
drawings,  while  No.  383^  represents  a  style  of  work,  in 
imitation  of  engraving,  which  is  a  peculiar  product  of 
photo-mechanical  process  draughtsmanship.  (See  a  repro- 
duction of  a  very  large  drawing  of  this  kind  under  No.  675). 
The  drawing  in  question  at  the  same  time  illustrates  in 
another  way  a  method  of  working  much  practiced  for  the 
purpose.  It  is  executed  on  a  faint  photograph,  which  was 
bleached  out  after  the  drawing  was  finished.  As,  however, 
it  is  not  always  desirable  to  have  drawings  in  line  or  in 
stipple  executed  with  the  pen  or  the  point  of  the  brush,  a 


E,    PROCESS  DRA  WING. 


97 


number  of  devices  have  been  invented  to  enable  the  artists 
to  make  grained  drawings  quickly  and  at  the  same  time 
with  due  regard  to  the  prime  requisite  alluded  to.  These 
devices,  —  embossed  and  printed  papers,  "  shading  medi- 
ums/' etc.,  —  are  illustrated  in  this  division.  The  repro- 
ductions from  process  drawings  which  have  been  added, 
may,  perhaps,  serve  to  show  that  the  character  of  this  class 
of  work  need  not  necessarily  be  inartistic.  No  doubt  much 
of  the  process-drawing  seen  to  day  is  utterly  bad.  It  is  to 
be  hoped  that,  as  the  processes  have  evidently  come  to 
stay,  a  class  of  draughtsmen  will  be  raised,  who,  while 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  needs  and  limitations  of 
their  work,  will  be  at  the  same  time  thoroughly  artistic. 

I.  Embossed  and  printed  papers.  —  Shading 
mediums.  —  Pasting  tints. 

720.  Samples  of  embossed  and  printed  papers,  made  by 
Chas.  J.  Ross,  Burlington,  N.  J. 

721.  Drawings  made  on  Ross's  papers,  with  reproductions  from 
them. 

722.  Samples  of  embossed  and  printed  papers,  made  by  Ben- 
jamin Day,  New  York.  —  Drawings  made  on  such  papers  and  repro- 
ductions from  them.  — Pasting  tints ^  i.  e.,  papers  with  lined  and  stippled 
tints  printed  on  them,  to  be  pasted  on  drawings  for  reproduction,  where 
large  spaces  are  to  be  uniformly  shaded.  (In  a  frame  on  the  wall,  over 
case  93.) 

723.  Day's  rapid  shading  mediums.  Representation  and  de- 
scription of  the  apparatus  used. 

724.  Drawing  made  with  Day's  mediums,  by  Benjamin  Day. 
The  drawing  itself  was  made  on  lithographic  stone,  and  only  an  impres- 
sion from  it  is  shown.  But  it  might  just  as  well  have  been  made  on 
paper,  and  therefore  sufficiently  illustrates  the  use  that  may  be  made  of 
these    mediums  "  for  process  drawing. 

2.  Process  drawings,  with  the  blocks  made  from 
them. 

725.  Drawing,  "  Beethoven,"  in  absolutely  black  lines  and  masses, 
executed  on  Bristol  board  with  pen  and  brush.  —  {a.)  The  drawing.  — 
{b.)  The  block  made  from  it.  —  {c.)  Impression  from  the  block.  —  The 
Art  Publishing  Co. 

726.  Drawing,  cover  for  an  exhibition  catalogue,  made  with  wax 
crayon  on  embossed  and  printed  paper,  the  lights  scraped.  —  {a.)  The 
drawing.  —  (^.)  The  block  made  from  it.  —  (<:.)  Impression  from  the 
block.      The  Art  Publishing  Co, 


98 


CATALOGUE. 


3.    Reproductions  of  Process  Drawings. 

727.  Study,  after  Daniel  Huntington.  Drawn  by  Chas.  Mettais 
on  embossed  and  printed  paper,  with  wax  crayon,  the  lights  scraped. 

728.  Morning,  after  Wm.  Rimmer.  Drawn  by  Chas.  Mettais,  on 
printed  paper,  with  wax  crayon. 

729.  Head  of  an  Italian.  Drawn  by  T.  W.  Dewing,  from  his 
own  painting,  with  wax  crayon,  on  grained  paper. 

730.  October.  Drawn  by  H.  Bolton  Jones,  from  his  own  paint- 
ing, with  wax  crayon,  on  grained  paper. 

731.  Portrait.  Drawn  by  F.  P.  Vinton,  from  his  own  painting, 
with  wax  crayon,  on  grained  paper. 

732.  Ideal  Landscape,  after  M.  G.  Wheelock.  Drawn  by  Ed- 
mund H.  Garrett,  with  wax  crayon,  on  grained  paper.  Scraping  in  the 
clouds. 

733.  Studio  of  Wm.  M.  Chase,  from  a  sketch  by  him.  Drawn 
by  Chas.  Mettais,  with  wax  crayon,  on  grained  paper. 

734.  Study,  after  Trumbull.  Drawn  by  Chas.  Mettais,  with  wax 
crayon,  on  grained  paper. 


\ 

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